The short answer
Taichung takes a little more planning than Taipei. There is one MRT line, the G Green Line, and it runs along Wenxin Road from Beitun in the north to the high speed rail station in the south. It does not reach the old center around Taichung Station (the Taiwan Railway station), Fengjia Night Market or the coast. City buses fill those gaps, and in Taichung they do most of the work.
So: get an EasyCard or iPASS on day one, use the MRT where it fits, ride the bus everywhere else, and keep taxis or Uber for late nights, the coast and awkward cross-town trips. If you will be on buses all day, the Taichung Go 24-hour pass (NT$180) covers the MRT and every city bus route.
- MRT one line, 18 stations, first trains 06:00, last trains just after midnight; fares NT$20 to NT$50
- Buses for visitors, NT$15 comes off your card when you board and the rest is charged by distance when you tap off; cash fare from NT$20
- Cards EasyCard, iPASS and icash work on the MRT and buses; the MRT also takes contactless Visa, Mastercard, JCB and UnionPay cards
- Arriving by HSR HSR Taichung Station is in Wuri, on the edge of the city, with the MRT, a Taiwan Railway station and buses next door
Good to know: "Taichung Station" means two different places. Taichung Station (臺中車站) is the Taiwan Railway station in the old center. HSR Taichung Station (高鐵臺中站) is the high speed rail station in Wuri, which local trains take about 12 minutes to connect. Check which one your ticket, hotel or bus sign means.
Which to use when
| Getting around by | Best for | How to pay |
|---|---|---|
| G MRT Green Line | The Wenxin Road corridor: Taichung City Hall and the 7th Redevelopment Zone, Nantun, and the HSR station | EasyCard, iPASS or icash; a single-journey ticket; a contactless bank card or phone |
| Bus City bus | Almost everything else: Taiwan Boulevard (routes 300 to 310), Fengjia, Rainbow Village, Gaomei Wetlands | EasyCard, iPASS or icash (tap on and off), or cash |
| TRA Local train | HSR station to Taichung Station, and trains toward Qingshui on the coast | Ticket from the station |
| YouBike YouBike | Short hops, and the last stretch from a bus stop or MRT station | Credit card single rental, or a registered card |
| Taxi Taxi or Uber | Late nights, luggage, groups and places far from a bus route | Meter fare, NT$85 to start |
The trips almost everyone makes
- From the HSR station into town. Take the MRT from HSR Taichung Station (Green Line, 119) for City Hall and Wenxin Road, or walk through to Taiwan Railway's Xinwuri Station for a 12-minute train to Taichung Station. → HSR station to the city
- Along Taiwan Boulevard. Bus routes 300 to 310 run the length of the boulevard in their own lanes, past the National Museum of Natural Science and Taichung City Hall, where you can change to the MRT. → City buses
- To Gaomei Wetlands for sunset. Route 309 runs from Taichung Station to the wetlands; routes 178, 179 and 688 run from Qingshui Station. → Gaomei Wetlands
The guides
- TransportThe MRT Green LineAll 18 stations and their codes, last trains, fares and the rules.
- TransportCity busesWhat visitors pay, tapping on and off, and the routes to the big sights.
- ArrivingHSR station to the cityMRT, the train from Xinwuri, buses by platform, and taxis.
- PayingCards and passesEasyCard, iPASS, tapping a bank card, and the 24 to 72 hour passes.
- TransportYouBikeNT$10 per 30 minutes, and how visitors rent with a credit card.
- TransportTaxis and UberMeter fares, the night surcharge and when a taxi is worth it.
- ArrivingGetting to TaichungBy HSR, train, bus, Taichung Airport or from Taoyuan Airport.
→ Where to stay, with transit access · → Taipei to Taichung · → Taichung to Tainan
Sources
Taichung MRT first and last trains and frequency, ticket types, station information and Green Line fare table (Taichung MRT open data, updated June 2026); Taichung city bus fare information and route and stop search; Taichung Go hourly QR passes; Taiwan Railway timetable and fare search; THSR Taichung Station information; Taichung City Government on taxi fares (May 2023, in force from August 1, 2023). Checked October 2026.