Zusin Shin Garden Hotel→Chientan Youth Activity Center

To take the High Speed Rail (HSR) from Zusin Shin Garden Hotel to Chientan Youth Activity Center, HSR is quick but pricey and has difficult taxi access. From the earliest departure at 06:05 to the latest at 23:03, there are up to 105 high-speed rail from Taichung to Taipei each day. Assuming you depart from Zusin Shin Garden Hotel (Renai Township, Nantou County) and head to the nearest Taichung HSR station, a taxi ride would cost about NT$3,200 and take approximately 100 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 43-69-minute (57 min on average) HSR ride from Taichung Station to Taipei HSR Station. The ticket price is NT$700 per person, followed by a 15-minute walk to exit the station, wait for a ride at the taxi stand, and after a trip of about 21 minutes with a fare of NT$300, you will arrive at your destination at Chientan Youth Activity Center (Shilin District, Taipei City). The entire journey, including transfers, takes a total of 3 hours and 33 minutes. Assuming 3 people traveling together, the average cost per person for the HSR and transfers is NT$1,870. However, in Nantou County, there are only just over 300 licensed taxis. The taxi density is 0.2% of that in the Taipei/New Taipei metro area. In other words, hailing a taxi on the spot is 500 times more difficult than in a major city like Taipei, and since Zusin Shin Garden Hotel 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 Nantou 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$1,860, and the journey takes 3 hours and 45 minutes. For long-distance travel, the HSR is indeed faster than a car by 12 minutes, but it comes with an extra transportation cost of about NT$30. Therefore, for those who are not in a major hurry, booking with Tripool is the more cost-effective option. If you are traveling with just one other person, you can also consider Tripool's carpooling service to save up to an additional 50% on transportation costs.

If you are considering renting a car, unfortunately, there are likely no rental companies in the vicinity of Zusin Shin Garden Hotel. If you do not want to spend extra time traveling to a nearby city to rent a car, nor spend NT$6,175 on a taxi to Chientan Youth Activity Center, then a direct Tripool private car is your best option.

If you choose to take a taxi directly, in the Nantou County area, you can use apps to hail a cab from 55688 Taiwan Taxi and Yoxi. Based on the meter, the estimated fare is between NT$6,175 and 9,300, but you could save up to NT$3,700 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 Nantou County, there are only about 340 licensed taxis. The taxi density is just 0.2% of that in the Taipei/New Taipei metro area, meaning it is 500 times more difficult to hail a cab on the spot compared to Taipei or New Taipei. Furthermore, some taxi drivers in Nantou County flat-out refuse to use the meter. Nearly 58% 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 Zusin Shin Garden Hotel to Chientan Youth Activity Center 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.

Passengers can request additional stops for a ride from Zusin Shin Garden Hotel to Chientan Youth Activity Center. Every 5 km of additional distance for a stop charges NT$200, whether it is along the way or not. It's necessary for the driver's extra time.

Tripool only offers private car service, and there is no ride-sharing or carpooling service for now. Except for our driver, there will be no other stranger in the vehicle with you. During the pandemic, our drivers put extra effort into clearing and disinfection.

As long as you can choose the date, time, and finish the booking on our website or the app, tripool guarantees our driver will show up. However, tripool is not a ride-hailing yellow cab company. All the reservations have to be pre-booked. If you want to go to Chientan Youth Activity Center from Zusin Shin Garden Hotel, the soonest is finishing the booking four hours in advance.