A Foreigner's Guide to Taipei's MRT and EasyCard: Lines, Fares, TPASS and the Rules Nobody Tells You

Taipei's MRT is clean, cheap, on time and fully bilingual. You can live here for years without a car or a scooter. But "it's easy" is not much help on your first morning, staring at a map full of colors and letter codes. So this Taipei MRT guide explains how the system actually works, what to pay with, and the handful of rules that locals follow without thinking.

Photo: Lokseng01 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Taipei MRT guide in one minute: lines, colors and letter codes

Every line has a color, a number and a letter code. Locals mostly say the color ("take the blue line to Ximen"), so learn those first.

• BR, Brown, Line 1, Wenhu line: driverless elevated line from Taipei Zoo up through Daan, Zhongxiao Fuxing, Songshan Airport and Neihu to Nangang Exhibition Center. Smaller trains, gets packed at rush hour.
• R, Red, Line 2, Tamsui-Xinyi line: Tamsui in the north, through Beitou, Shilin, Taipei Main Station, Daan to Xiangshan near Taipei 101.
• G, Green, Line 3, Songshan-Xindian line: Songshan, Nanjing Fuxing, Ximen, Gongguan (National Taiwan University) down to Xindian.
• O, Orange, Line 4, Zhonghe-Xinlu line: one line that splits into two branches in the north (Luzhou and Huilong) and runs south to Nanshijiao in Zhonghe.
• BL, Blue, Line 5, Bannan line: the east-west spine, from Dingpu and Tucheng through Banqiao, Ximen, Taipei Main Station, Zhongxiao Dunhua and Taipei City Hall to Nangang.
• Y, Yellow, Circular line: the newer driverless line around New Taipei, from Dapinglin to New Taipei Industrial Park.

New Taipei also runs several connecting lines that use the same fare gates: the Danhai light rail (V, from Hongshulin on the Red line), the Ankeng light rail (K, from Shisizhang on the Circular line) and the Sanying line (LB, from Dingpu on the Blue line out to Sanxia and Yingge), which opened on June 30, 2026. The Taoyuan Airport MRT (A, purple) is a separate company with its own fares, more on that below. The Wanda line, which will link Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall to Zhonghe, is still under construction and is currently expected around the end of 2027.

Photo: Sinsyuan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Station codes

Every station has a code: the line letter plus a number. Taipei Main Station is BL12 on the Blue line and R10 on the Red line. Codes are printed on every sign, and they are the fastest way to give directions or tell a taxi driver where you mean. "Meet me at BL15" is a perfectly normal text.

Transfer stations worth knowing

• Taipei Main Station: Red and Blue (plus the Airport MRT, Taiwan Railway and High Speed Rail next door)
• Ximen: Green and Blue
• Zhongxiao Fuxing: Brown and Blue
• Daan: Red and Brown
• Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall: Red and Green
• Dongmen: Red and Orange
• Songjiang Nanjing: Green and Orange
• Nanjing Fuxing: Brown and Green

Big interchanges like Taipei Main Station and Zhongxiao Fuxing can mean a 5 to 8 minute walk between platforms. Budget for it.

How fares work

Fares are distance based, from NT$20 to NT$65 for a single ride on the Taipei Metro network. Most trips inside central Taipei cost NT$20 to NT$30. You tap in, tap out, and the system charges the right amount. Trains run from about 6:00 to around midnight; last trains vary by station, so check the app if you are out late.

What to pay with (and our pick)

You have five real options in 2026.

1. EasyCard (or iPASS)

The default. Buy one at any MRT station service counter or at 7-Eleven and FamilyMart, top it up with cash at station machines or any convenience store. It also works on buses, YouBike, Taiwan Railway, and for small purchases at convenience stores (see our convenience store guide). iPASS does the same job and is accepted everywhere the MRT goes.

Two perks only work with a stored-value card. The frequent rider rebate gives you cash back the next month based on how many rides you took: 11 to 20 rides gets 5%, 21 to 40 rides gets 10%, 41 or more gets 15%. The rebate lands on the same card the next time you tap in. The bus and MRT transfer discount takes NT$8 off when you switch between bus and MRT within one hour.

2. Credit card or phone tap

Since July 1, 2026, every Taipei Metro gate accepts contactless Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners and Discover cards, plus Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. Tap in and out exactly like an EasyCard. With Apple Pay Express Mode you don't even need to unlock your phone. The catch: credit card taps get no frequent rider rebate and no transfer discount, and a foreign card may add an overseas transaction fee on every ride.

Photo: Sinsyuan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

3. Single journey tokens

Blue plastic tokens from the ticket machines, valid for one ride on the day you buy them. Fine for a visitor's first ride, pointless once you live here.

4. Tourist passes

The One-Day Pass is NT$150 (unlimited rides until end of service that day). The 24-hour, 48-hour and 72-hour passes cost NT$180, NT$280 and NT$380 and run from your first entry. They do not cover the Airport MRT. Great for visiting friends, not for residents.

5. TPASS monthly pass

The TPASS "Megacity Pass" costs NT$1,200 for 30 days of unlimited rides across Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei and Taoyuan: Taipei Metro, the light rail lines, the Airport MRT, city and highway buses, and Taiwan Railway local trains within the region. It also gets you the first 30 minutes free on YouBike 2.0 (60 minutes in Taoyuan). You load it onto your EasyCard or iPASS at a station machine, and the 30 days start from your first tap.

Our pick: if you commute to work or school five days a week, get TPASS. Two NT$25 rides a day for 22 working days is already about NT$1,100, before weekends, buses or a single trip to the airport. If you work from home or ride a few times a week, stay on a plain EasyCard and collect the rebate. Use credit card tap for your first day or two, before you have a card, and for friends visiting from abroad.

Photo: Asacyan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Apps that actually help

Google Maps handles MRT routing well, including transfers and walking time. The official Taipei Metro Go app adds live train arrival times, exit info and service alerts, which matters on typhoon days or when a line is delayed. Station exits are numbered, and big stations like Taipei Main have a dozen of them, so check which exit is closest before you start walking underground.

The rules (some come with real fines)

• No eating, drinking or chewing gum past the yellow line at the fare gates. That includes a sip of water. The fine under the Mass Rapid Transit Act is NT$1,500 to NT$7,500, and staff do enforce it. Finish your bubble tea outside.
• Priority seats (dark blue) are for elderly, pregnant, disabled riders and people with small kids. Many locals leave them empty even on a crowded train. Do the same.
• Escalators: stand on the right, walk on the left. Taipei Metro officially asks everyone to stand still and hold the handrail, but in practice the right-side habit is strong, especially at big stations.
• Queue at the markings on the platform floor, let people off first, then board. Pushing in at rush hour gets you looks.
• Night safety waiting zones: platforms have a marked waiting area (originally called the women's night waiting zone) covered by CCTV and close to the intercom. If you are traveling alone late at night, wait there.

Rush hour and other practical tips

Rush hour is roughly 7:30 to 9:30 and 17:30 to 19:30 on weekdays. The worst crush points are the Blue line between Banqiao and Zhongxiao Fuxing, the Brown line through Neihu, and Red line trains into Taipei Main. If you can shift your commute by 20 minutes, do it.

Moving with a suitcase or big boxes? Use the elevators (marked on every station map) and avoid rush hour. Bikes are allowed on weekends and holidays only, through specific gates and in the first and last cars.

For the last stretch home, YouBike 2.0 stations sit outside almost every MRT exit. In Taipei and New Taipei the first 30 minutes are free for registered members on standard bikes (the electric 2.0E bikes are not included), then NT$10 per 30 minutes. Register your EasyCard in the YouBike app once and just tap.

Getting to and from the airport

The Taoyuan Airport MRT runs from Taipei Main Station (A1) to both terminals. Take the Express train (purple, about 35 minutes, stops only at a few stations) rather than the Commuter train (blue, stops everywhere and takes noticeably longer). The fare is around NT$150 to NT$160 by EasyCard or token, and the ride is covered if you hold TPASS. Our Taoyuan airport to Taipei guide compares it with buses and taxis.

Pick your apartment by MRT line

Your MRT line shapes your daily life more than almost anything else in Taipei. Living one stop from a transfer station can save you an hour a week. If you are still choosing a neighborhood, our comparison of the best areas for foreigners is organized around exactly that. And if you want help finding a place near the line you need, see our home search, and for the day you land, airport pickup.

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