Taipei Transportation

If you are staying for a least 5 days, getting their subway/bus card is a good deal. You pay NT500 (of which NT100 is refundable deposit when you return the card). Rides on the subway cost around NT20-50 (for the furthest stop). You can also use this card on the bus.
Depending on the bus, you either tap when u board or when you alight. The sign above the driver will indicate (in Chinese)

Here in Taiwan, if it's a big road, scooter usually can't make a left turn. You need to get to the other side of the road and stop in the white blank( like the pic on the left ) till that side of the light turns green. If you don't follow and you get unlucky then you might get a ticket.

At the airport, immediately after leaving customs and imigration stay inside the building, take a left and walk to the end of the terminal, where you will see a sign that says "Buses". Look for the window that says either AirBus or Free Go (Free Go buses are recognized by the giant dalmations painted on the side). The cashier will then direct you outside, and to the right about 150 yards. Tell the busdriver which hotel you are going to, and they will be sure you don't miss your stop. For TW$135 (@$4.oo USD) the bus will drop you off at the street corner next to the hotel. It's @ an hour ride to downtown Taipei.

The Metro is an excellent mode of transportation to get around Taipei. It is clean, and inexpensive (TW$200) for unlimited rides for 1 day. The maps are easy to read, and show all of the best tourist spots and are free (better map than what you might buy) .

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Free Go, an excellent cooperation which obtained permits from Ministry of Communications for running free-way transportation, provides frequently scheduled trips.

Frequency from CKS airport to Taipei is every 10 to 15 minutes between 5:30am and 1:30am.

Frequency from Taipei to CKS airport is every 10 to 15 minutes between 4am and 10:30pm.

They have many different transportation lines all over Taiwan, inclusive of non-stop lines of Taipei-CKS airport. Tell the ticket counter staff and bus driver which hotel you stay and make sure they send you right to your hotel.

You can always see the bright and vivid sign of "Free Go Bus" going through all over the towns.

If I'm not wrong, it's the cheapest flight from Singapore to Taipei... It costs SGD321 per person including taxes if you book early through the internet for the month of June (shool holiday)... Direct flight...Leather seats... Good timing...

Taking MRT is easy, economical and fast. But signs to the Station are hard to locate. This problem is solved by the friendly locals who would direct you to the station without any hesitation. There are, at this juncture three main lines, red, blue and orange. All goes to Taipei Main Station which is the location for two large underground shopping centres.

Places of interest eg, Dr Sun Yat-sun's Memorial, CKS Memorial, Lung Shan Temple, Fisherman Wharf, Danshui, Shilin Night Market, Hsimenting Night Market, Taipei 101 (NYNY), Museum of World Religions, Living Mall could be accessed via MRT with shuttle buses some of which are for gratis.

I was lucky to make this picture.
This new high-speed rail line goes from Taipei to Kaohsiung in about 1.5 hours. It will stop in approx 4 stations. Maximum speed 350 km/h. Unfortunatly there are some financial problems in this (private!!!) project. So the line will not open this year. The new schedule is 2006. Painfull because the Japanese recently released their new train that runs... yep...360km/h.