For most trips from Taipei, the bus is the easy choice, and it's how most people make the trip. The buses take National Freeway 5 through the Hsuehshan Tunnel (雪山隧道) under the mountains, they run from early morning to after midnight, and outside holidays you can just turn up. Two companies cover the route, Kamalan Bus (葛瑪蘭客運) and Capital Bus (首都客運), and both are good. Pick the one whose Taipei terminal is closer to you.
- Kamalan From Taipei Bus Station (臺北轉運站) next to Taipei Main Station, and MRT Technology Building
- Capital From Taipei City Hall Bus Station (市府轉運站), above MRT Taipei City Hall
- Fare NT$103 to NT$150 one way, depending on company and town
- How often Every 10 to 25 minutes for most of the day
- Time About 55 to 65 minutes to Jiaoxi, 85 to 95 to Yilan and 75 to 85 to Luodong, with no traffic
Kamalan Bus
Kamalan's buses leave from Taipei Bus Station, the bus terminal beside Taipei Main Station, and stop at MRT Technology Building (科技大樓) on the way out. Some start further back at Banqiao. In Yilan they stop at Jiaoxi Transfer Station (礁溪轉運站), Yilan Transfer Station (宜蘭轉運站) and Luodong Transfer Station (羅東轉運站). The route number tells you where the bus goes:
- 1915 Kamalan's main route. Most daytime 1915 buses run straight to Jiaoxi; early, late and some other trips carry on to Yilan and Luodong. The 1915C runs via Shiding.
- 1916 Direct to Yilan City.
- 1917 Direct to Luodong, and 40 to 50 minutes quicker than riding the full 1915 route. Buses marked "via Huandong" (經環東) skip Technology Building.
| Taipei Bus Station to | Route | Adult | Return | Time, no traffic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jiaoxi | 1915 | NT$115 | NT$212 | About 55 to 65 min |
| Yilan | 1916 | NT$145 | NT$267 | About 85 to 95 min |
| Luodong | 1917 | NT$150 | NT$276 | About 75 to 85 min |
The fares are the same from Technology Building. And there are a lot of buses: on a weekday in November 2026, Kamalan's timetable showed about 55 departures a day from Taipei Bus Station to Jiaoxi, over 70 to Yilan and nearly 80 to Luodong, the first at 05:15 and the last at 00:15. In the daytime that's a bus every 10 to 25 minutes to each town. Weekends run a similar timetable.
Buy at the counter with cash, an electronic ticket card such as EasyCard, or LINE Pay, or book a seat online on Kamalan's 24-hour booking site, paying by Visa, Mastercard or JCB. Missed your bus, or running early? A ticket for a set time also works on an earlier or later bus the same day, in the standby queue at the starting station.
Capital Bus
If you're staying on the east side of Taipei, Capital is the handy one. Its Yilan buses leave from Taipei City Hall Bus Station, in the Xinyi district, and in Yilan they use the same three bus stations as Kamalan.
- 1572 To Jiaoxi. Before 07:00 and after 23:00, the 1572 runs on to Yilan and Luodong.
- 1571 Direct to Yilan City.
- 1570 Direct to Luodong.
| Taipei City Hall to | Route | Adult | Half fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jiaoxi | 1572 | NT$103 | NT$52 |
| Yilan | 1571 | NT$136 | NT$68 |
| Luodong | 1570 | NT$136 | NT$68 |
These fares have applied since November 2, 2024. Buses leave City Hall from 06:10 until 00:30: every 10 to 15 minutes at weekday peaks, every 15 to 20 minutes off-peak, and every 10 to 20 minutes all day at weekends. Pay with cash, EasyCard, iPASS or HappyCash.
Other buses
- Kuo-Kuang (國光客運) runs routes from Yuanshan via Nangang to Yilan (1878) and Luodong (1879A). In mid-October 2026 it cancelled dozens of trips without notice because of a driver shortage, so for now we'd stick with Kamalan or Capital.
- Weekends to Su'ao and Hualien: Kamalan's 1918 runs on weekends and public holidays from Banqiao and Nangang to Su'ao, then down the Suhua Highway to Xincheng and Hualien.
- From Taoyuan Airport: UBus (統聯) route 1661 runs from Terminal 1 to Jiaoxi, Yilan and Luodong bus stations without going into Taipei. The Highway Bureau's fare table lists full fares of NT$260 to Jiaoxi, NT$310 to Yilan and NT$340 to Luodong (on its three-across seat buses). Check times with UBus before you fly. For every way in, see Getting to Yilan.
Holiday traffic and the tunnel
On a normal weekday the bus is as quick as most trains. Long weekends and holidays are another story. The freeway through the Hsuehshan Tunnel fills up, worst of all heading back to Taipei on the last afternoon. The Freeway Bureau then limits cars on the northbound ramps in Yilan to three or more people for parts of the day (on the October 2026 long weekend it was 13:00 to 18:00 on the last two days, at the Su'ao, Luodong, Yilan and Toucheng ramps). Buses are exempt, so they do better than private cars, but they still sit in the same queue in the tunnel.
Good to know: on a holiday, book a seat online with Kamalan rather than joining the walk-up line, leave Yilan before lunch on your last day, or switch to the train to Taipei.
Typhoons: buses through the tunnel can be cancelled in a typhoon. Check the operator's site or Facebook page before you set out.
→ All the ways to get around · Buses once you're in Yilan · A day trip from Taipei
Sources: Kamalan Bus, Yilan routes; Kamalan Bus, timetable and fares; Kamalan Bus, FAQ (journey times, booking, payment); Kamalan Bus, 1918 Hualien route; Capital Bus, intercity routes; Capital Bus, Yilan fares; Highway Bureau, UBus 1661 fare table; NOWnews on Kuo-Kuang cancellations; TVBS on the October 2026 high-occupancy rules. Checked November 2026.