TRA Hualien Station→Silks Place Tainan

To take the High Speed Rail (HSR) from TRA Hualien Station to Silks Place Tainan, HSR is quick but pricey and has difficult taxi access. From the earliest departure at 06:15 to the latest at 22:05, there are up to 72 high-speed rail from Nangang to Tainan each day. Assuming you depart from TRA Hualien Station (Hualien City, Hualien County) and head to the nearest Nangang HSR station, a taxi ride would cost about NT$5,200 and take approximately 224 minutes. After arriving at the HSR station, the time to walk in, purchase tickets, and wait on the platform is about 20 minutes. Then, take a 96-131-minute (116 min on average) HSR ride from Nangang Station to Tainan HSR Station. The ticket price is NT$1,390 per person, followed by a 5-minute walk to exit the station, wait for a ride at the taxi stand, and after a trip of about 33 minutes with a fare of NT$300, you will arrive at your destination at Silks Place Tainan (Zhongxi District, Tainan City). The entire journey, including transfers, takes a total of 6 hours and 38 minutes. Assuming 4 people traveling together, the average cost per person for the HSR and transfers is NT$2,770. However, in Hualien County, there are only just over 1,000 licensed taxis. The taxi density is 0.5% of that in the Taipei/New Taipei metro area. In other words, hailing a taxi on the spot is 200 times more difficult than in a major city like Taipei, and since TRA Hualien Station is not located in a downtown area, it may be impossible to find a taxi at all. Even if you are lucky enough to hail a cab, a minority of taxi drivers in Hualien County may not use the meter, and might overcharge or take detours, especially with passengers who appear to be from out of town. In contrast, if you use Tripool for a door-to-door private car service, the average cost per person is about NT$2,480, and the journey takes 7 hours and 40 minutes. For long-distance travel, the HSR is indeed faster than a car by 62 minutes, but it comes with an extra transportation cost of about NT$1,160. Therefore, for those who are not in a major hurry, you may consider a cheaper and door-to-door private transfer option, like Tripool. If you are traveling in a group of three or less, you can also consider Tripool's carpooling service to save up to an additional 50% on transportation costs.

If you have a driver's license, do not mind driving yourself, and you do not need to use the travel time to rest in the car, there are about 20 rental car companies, such as 紅螞蟻小客車租賃, 裕達汽車租賃, 全興小客車租賃, available in the TRA Hualien Station - Hualien City, Hualien County area. Typically, car rentals are billed by the day. A small sedan like a Toyota Corolla or Ford Fiesta costs around NT$1500 per day, while a 9-seater van like a Hyundai Staria or Volkswagen Caravelle starts at NT$4500 per day. Extra costs such as fuel (approx. NT$3/km), eTag tolls (approx. NT$1/km), roadside parking (approx. NT$40/hour), insurance, and potential fines are not included. Most rental agreements specify a daily mileage limit of 200-400 km, with surcharges ranging from NT$100 to NT$2,000 for exceeding it. Since the vast majority of rental companies do not offer one-way rentals, assuming you make a same-day round trip between TRA Hualien Station and Silks Place Tainan, the estimated cost for a sedan is NT$5700 or NT$8700 for a 9-seater van. This is, of course, cheaper than taking a taxi. However, if Silks Place Tainan has extensive indoor facilities or the attractions you want to visit are nearby, renting a car for the entire day seems wasteful. Moreover, the rental location may be some distance from TRA Hualien Station, and you must adhere to their business hours for pickup and return. The rental process itself is tedious, often taking an extra 30 minutes for contracts and vehicle inspection. You may even need to refuel the car yourself before returning. If you encounter a dishonest operator, you risk being hit with various unjustified charges upon return.

If you choose to take a taxi directly, in the Hualien County area, you can use apps to hail a cab from 55688 Taiwan Taxi, and if you cannot hail a cab on the street, you can also consider calling taxi fleets near TRA Hualien Station, such as 花蓮建宏計程錶行計程車, 統一無線計程車, 美美汽車行 to try to book a ride. Based on the meter, the estimated fare is between NT$10,405 and 15,600, but you could save up to NT$5,700 by booking with Tripool instead. But if you cannot book in advance or prefer to hail a cab on the spot, be aware that in the whole Hualien County, there are only about 1,010 licensed taxis. The taxi density is just 0.5% of that in the Taipei/New Taipei metro area, meaning it is 200 times more difficult to hail a cab on the spot compared to Taipei or New Taipei. If you plan to make a return trip on the same or next day, be aware that taxis in Zhongxi District, Tainan City are also not easy to find. It is recommended to plan ahead. Furthermore, some taxi drivers in Hualien County flat-out refuse to use the meter. Nearly 32% of them will try to negotiate the fare on the spot—often asking far above the standard rate. If you’re not familiar with local pricing, you are an easy target. To avoid getting ripped off, it is strongly advised to book online in advance. Considering all factors, Tripool is your best choice for traveling from TRA Hualien Station to Silks Place Tainan in terms of both price and service quality.

There are many gypsy cabs or illegal taxis in Line and Facebook groups. Their fares are cheap but with many risks. If the cabs are pulled over by polices, passengers cannot continue the trip. If there is an accident, none of the insurance companies will settle a claim. Worst of all, illegal drivers may conduct crimes without any trace. Don't put your life at risk for just saving a few bucks. On the other hand, tripool contracts with legal drivers without any criminal record. All vehicles provide up to $5 million in insurance. The easiest way to distinguish a legal vehicle is the car plate number. Unless the initial character of the car plate number is either T or R, the car is 100% illegal for taxi service.

Tripool will send a receipt through the third-party system one week after the ride. If passengers need to claim reimbursement for travel expenses, there is a blank to fill with the company's title and tax ID. It's legal, and there is no extra 5% for the receipt. Once the receipt is received via email, it can be printed out for reimbursement or saved as a PDF.

Tripool provides private day tours and charter services all around the island, including Silks Place Tainan and TRA Hualien Station. Tourists are welcome to choose from point-to-point transportation service to 2~12 hours private trip service. The price is 100% transparent without any hidden fee. What you see on the website/app is the actual price. There is no need to email us or even make a phone call to verify. The full-day service price may not be lower than other providers. But if you only need a few hours or just a one-way transfer service, we can guarantee that our price is the most competitive in the market and tripool is the best choice. We offer 5-seater sedans, SUVs, and 9-seater vans. If your group is more than 9, we can arrange a bigger bus for you.

Passengers can request free cancelation one day before by noon. 100% refundable for any reason. Just send us an email or fill up the cancelation form. No additional administration fee is guaranteed.

In common, a 9-seater van can accommodate eight passengers with six 30" luggage. Suppose there are fewer passengers in the car. In that case, our driver can fold down the rear seats. There will be more space for oversized objects, such as surfboards, golf clubs, instruments, foldable bikes, desktop computers, etc. As long as these objects won't block the driver's sight and do no damage to the car body, passengers can put as many luggage and items as they like. But extra charge may be needed. You can find the details in the FAQ section. We suggest measuring the size, telling how many items to our online service first, and making the order afterward.