You don't need to drive to get around Hsinchu by car. Yellow taxis wait at both main stations, you can book one by phone or app, and Uber works in Hsinchu City and Zhubei. For the airport, a pre-booked car with a driver is the comfortable option, and the one Jason uses when he isn't taking the train. What you shouldn't do is get into a private car with a driver who walks up to you in the arrivals hall.
Short answer
Around town, take a metered taxi from a rank, call a fleet, or use Uber or a taxi app. To and from Taoyuan Airport, take the HSR and Airport MRT, the 1250 bus, the airport's official taxi rank, or a pre-booked licensed car service. Ignore drivers who approach you inside the terminal. Bolt doesn't serve Hsinchu.
- Hsinchu City taxi meter NT$100 for the first 1,250 m, then NT$5 per 200 m; NT$20 extra per trip from 23:00 to 06:00
- Fleets that dispatch in Hsinchu City Taiwan Taxi 55688, Metro Taxi 55178, plus three local fleets (numbers below)
- Apps Uber, LINE GO, 55688 (Taiwan Taxi), Metro Taxi's app
- Not here Bolt (Taipei, Keelung and Taoyuan only, November 2026)
- Taoyuan Airport taxi rank Terminal 1, door 12; Terminal 2, the lane opposite door 26 (both on the arrivals floor, west side)
TAXI Taxis in Hsinchu and Zhubei
Taxis queue outside HSR Hsinchu Station in Zhubei and outside Hsinchu TRA Station in the city centre, and you'll see them around the big malls and hospitals. Away from those, in Zhubei's residential streets or out toward the Science Park, cruising taxis are rarer, and calling or using an app is more reliable than waving.
What a ride costs
Hsinchu City's Transportation Department publishes the city's meter rates. The same meter has applied day and night since December 1, 2019, with a flat night surcharge:
| Hsinchu City taxi meter | Fare |
|---|---|
| Flag fall, first 1,250 m | NT$100 |
| Each further 200 m | NT$5 |
| Waiting or slow traffic (under 5 km/h) | NT$5 per 80 seconds |
| Night, 23:00 to 06:00 | NT$20 extra per trip |
| Calling a taxi, using the boot | No extra charge |
| Lunar New Year | A surcharge of up to 30%; for 2026 the city and county set 30%, February 13 to 22 |
Hsinchu County, which includes Zhubei, uses the same distance and time steps (NT$5 per 200 m, NT$5 per 80 seconds) from the same 2019 change. The county's flag fall was reported then as NT$100 by day and NT$120 at night. We couldn't find a current county fare table online, so treat the county's night rate as the one to check. Whichever side of the river you're on, the meter should be running: if it isn't, ask for it before you set off.
Calling a taxi
Hsinchu City's Transportation Department lists these fleets with radio dispatch in the city:
- Taiwan Taxi (台灣大車隊): 55688 from a mobile, 405-88888 from a landline
- Metro Taxi (大都會計程車): 55178 from a mobile, 03-620-4000 from a landline. THSR lists Metro Taxi for HSR Hsinchu Station, on 0800-000943.
- Hongshuai Satellite Fleet (紅帥衛星車隊): 03-571-3333
- Jinli Satellite (金立衛星車行): 03-522-3333
- Zhonghua Satellite Fleet (中華衛星車隊): 03-551-6000
Expect the call to be in Mandarin. If that's hard, use an app, where you type or drop a pin instead.
Taxi apps
- 55688 (Taiwan Taxi): the fleet's own app, with an English option. It takes cash and a long list of e-payments, including linked credit cards, LINE Pay and EasyCard, and you can book an airport drop-off in advance.
- Metro Taxi app (大都會計程車): in English and Chinese, with advance bookings in 5-, 7- and 9-seat cars, airport transfers, and payment by card, LINE Pay, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
- LINE GO: books taxis inside LINE or its own app. LINE GO says its Hsinchu coverage is strongest in the city centre, at the HSR station, in the Science Park and around NTHU. Pay by card, LINE Pay or cash on ordinary rides; its airport transfers are a fixed price paid online.
Paying
Cash always works, and it's the safe default when you flag a taxi in the street. Taiwan Taxi's 55688 cars can take cards and e-payment, and a ride booked in an app is paid in the app, but a taxi you flag in the street may be cash only. Ask before you get in if you have no cash.
Good to know: have your destination written in Chinese, ideally the full address or the place's Chinese name on your phone. "The station" means nothing until you say which one: 高鐵新竹站 for the HSR in Zhubei, 新竹火車站 for the TRA in the city. Many drivers speak little English, and a map pin or a screenshot ends most confusion.
Uber
Uber works in both Hsinchu City and Zhubei, around the clock, and you can request a local taxi through the app as well as Uber's own cars. UberXL (up to six people) and child car seats booked ahead are listed for both. Uber itself warns that pickups can take longer than in bigger cities, so for an early train or flight, book ahead with Uber Reserve, up to 90 days in advance. You pay through your Uber account, and you see a price estimate before you confirm.
From Taoyuan Airport, the app offers airport pickup options and tells you where in the arrivals area to meet your driver. Follow the app, not anyone who says they're your Uber.
Bolt
Bolt launched in Taiwan in September 2025, working with licensed taxi fleets (Hi Taxi, Sinfu and Nice Taxi at launch). Its own city list for Taiwan names only Taipei, Keelung and Taoyuan (press at launch also mentioned New Taipei). It doesn't cover Hsinchu City or Hsinchu County as of November 2026, so if you have the app from a trip to Taipei, use Uber or a taxi app here instead.
CAR Car services and airport transfers
A "private car" or airport transfer (機場接送) in Taiwan is, legally, a rental car with a driver (租賃車, rented 代僱駕駛, with a hired driver). You book a fixed trip in advance, usually at a fixed price, and the driver meets you. It's the most comfortable way between Hsinchu and Taoyuan Airport with luggage, children or a late flight.
Jason always does the airport run one of two ways: the Airport MRT and HSR, or a private car service. In his experience a car service costs less than a taxi from the airport rank, and for a small extra fee the driver waits for you past baggage claim holding a sign with your name. Prices differ by company, car size, time of night and exactly where in Hsinchu you're going, so get a quote for your own trip.
How to book one
- Book with a company, not a phone number from a forum. The rental companies with desks at Taoyuan Airport all rent cars with drivers: Car Plus (格上租車) and Lianbang (聯邦租車) in Terminal 1, Avis (艾維士) and Chingbin (慶賓) in Terminal 2. Car Plus lets you book an airport transfer online with your flight number, tracks the flight, sends the driver's details the day before, and says each passenger is covered by NT$5 million of liability insurance.
- Apps work too. LINE GO and the Metro Taxi app both sell airport transfers; 55688 books airport drop-offs.
- Give the flight number so the driver follows delays, and give the destination in Chinese.
- Ask what's included: a name sign at arrivals, how long the driver waits, night surcharges, tolls, extra stops, child seats. Get the price in writing.
- Check it's licensed. A legitimate service is a registered car rental or taxi company that names itself, takes your booking in advance and tells you the driver and plate. At the airport, a rental car must carry a rental form (汽車出租單) and may only pick up the passengers who booked it.
Taxi rank, MRT or car service?
| Taoyuan Airport to Hsinchu | How you pay | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| HSR + Airport MRT | NT$35 (MRT) + NT$130 (HSR reserved) per person | Light luggage, daytime, Zhubei |
| 1250 bus | Fixed fare; check with the operator | The city centre and Guangfu Road, including at night |
| Airport taxi rank | The meter, plus a 15% airport service fee; freeway tolls extra | No booking, any hour |
| Pre-booked car service | A fixed price agreed when you book | Luggage, families, late arrivals, being met at arrivals |
The airport's own taxi rank is the right choice if you haven't booked anything. Its taxis run 24 hours, and every car and driver is vetted by the Aviation Police before they're allowed to join. The full rail and bus details are in Taipei and the airport.
Drivers who approach you at the airport
Walk out of baggage claim at Taoyuan and someone may offer you a ride, often for a price that sounds better than a taxi. These are usually unlicensed private cars (白牌車, "white-plate cars"). Our call: don't use them. Here's why.
- It's illegal. Carrying passengers for money without a licence breaks the Highway Act. The operator faces a fine of NT$100,000 to NT$25 million, and the car's plates and the driver's licence can be suspended or revoked. Licensed taxis and rental cars are themselves banned from touting for passengers at the airport.
- You may not be insured. The Highway Act requires taxi and bus companies to carry passenger liability insurance. A private car carrying you illegally has no such policy behind it.
- Police are actively stopping them. In 2024 there were 5,790 cases of touts being moved on at the airport, though only around 200 went on to a fine. In September 2025, a driver stopped outside Terminal 1 tried to escape: his passenger, a traveller from Hong Kong, was thrown from the car and run over, and the Aviation Police fired eight shots to stop him. You don't want to be in that car.
- There's no recourse. If the price changes on the freeway or your bag goes missing, there's no company to complain to.
The rules are slowly changing. Since May 2026, Taiwan's airport regulations let each airport trial pickups by app-booked taxis. Kaohsiung went first; as of November 2026 we found no announced trial at Taoyuan. Until there is one, the legal choices at Taoyuan are the MRT, the buses, the official taxi rank, rental-car desks, and a car you booked in advance.
Safety: if someone says they're your driver, check the name sign matches your booking and the car and plate match what the company sent you. A real booked driver knows your name and flight; a tout asks where you're going.
Accessible taxis
- In Hsinchu City, the Transportation Department lists Hongshuai Satellite Fleet (03-571-3333) for accessible taxis.
- At Taoyuan Airport, the official taxi service has accessible taxis at the standard fare; book on 03-398-2832.
- Rehabilitation buses (復康巴士) run by the city and county social affairs departments take residents with disabilities, mainly to medical appointments. Eligibility depends on your disability certification, so ask the Social Affairs Department of Hsinchu City or Hsinchu County directly.
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Sources: Hsinchu City Transportation Department, taxi fares, dispatch fleets and accessible taxis (page updated August 20, 2026); Liberty Times on Hsinchu County taxi fares (January 2020); UDN on the 2026 Lunar New Year surcharge; THSR, Hsinchu Station; Uber, Hsinchu, Zhubei and Taoyuan Airport pickups; Bolt, cities in Taiwan and Taipei Times on Bolt's launch; 55688 app listing; Metro Taxi app listing; LINE GO, Hsinchu taxis; Taoyuan International Airport, taxis, car rental desks and public transport; TVBS on Taoyuan taxi fares and the airport service fee; Car Plus, airport transfers; Highway Act Article 77 and Article 65; Regulations on airport passenger vehicles (amended May 15, 2026); PTS on the September 2025 airport incident; ETtoday on the airport app-taxi trial; Hsinchu County rehabilitation bus service. Checked November 2026. This is a practical guide, not legal advice.