For short hops, just take a taxi. They wait outside the main stations, Yilan, Luodong and Jiaoxi, and they cover the gaps the buses leave: the station to a hot spring hotel outside Jiaoxi, Luodong to the Traditional Arts Center when the shuttle has just left, or a late night back from the market. For a full day in the mountains or along the coast, many visitors hire a taxi and driver for the day instead. Locals call it a charter (包車).
Metered fares
Taxis in Yilan County must run the meter. These rates are from the county fare notice that took effect on August 1, 2018, the latest one we could find:
- Daytime NT$120 for the first 1.5 km, then NT$5 per 250 m
- Waiting NT$5 per 2 minutes at under 5 km/h
- Night (23:00 to 06:00) NT$120 for the first 1.25 km, then NT$5 per 200 m
The night rate goes by the time you get in. Over Lunar New Year there are extra charges, which the county sets each year. Carry some cash.
Ordering a taxi by app
Uber works here: it lists Yilan as a city it serves, including local taxis booked and paid through the app, which saves you explaining an address in Chinese. Out in the countryside, the easiest way to get a taxi back is to ask your hotel or guesthouse to call one.
Chartering a taxi for the day
A charter is a driver and car for a set number of hours or a set route, at a price agreed in advance. We'd only bother for the places public transport barely reaches: Taipingshan and the mountain roads, the hill country of Sanxing and Datong, or a run along the northeast coast with stops.
- Agree the route, the hours and the total price before you set off, and whether it includes waiting time, tolls, parking and any park entry fees.
- For Taipingshan, ask about the road. Mountain roads close after storms, and a local driver will know the latest.
- Book through your hotel or guesthouse, or a tour platform (see tours and tickets).
Charter prices aren't regulated or published, so we can't give you a figure. Get two or three quotes before you agree.
Good to know: a taxi all the way from Taipei through the Hsuehshan Tunnel is rarely worth it. The bus from Taipei is quick and costs a fraction. Take a taxi from the station at the Yilan end.
→ All the ways to get around · Renting a car or scooter
Sources: Yilan County Government, taxi fare notice effective August 1, 2018 (the county page is no longer online); TVBS, Taiwan taxi fares by county; Uber, Yilan. Checked November 2026.