Apps for Taiwan Travel: Official Transit, Taxi and Weather Apps

Last verified 25 Oct 2026

Which apps are worth installing

This list only includes apps whose publisher shows a download link or an app description on its own site. Prices, ratings and features that the publisher does not state are left out. Check each store listing for current language support before you rely on it.

Transit apps

Go! Taipei Metro

The Taipei Metro English home page offers the app for Android and iOS. It does not list what the app does, so read the store description before you count on a specific feature. The same site has route maps, timetables, first and last trains, and a fare inquiry tool that works without an app.

You do not need the app to ride. Per the Metro’s ticket page, gates take contactless bank cards and the three major mobile wallets, and a Transit QR Code from a mobile app also works at the gates. The Taipei MRT guide covers fares and passes.

T Express (high speed rail)

THSR describes T Express as a way to book, pay and collect tickets at any hour, and to pass through the ticket gate with a QR code on your phone. It also searches fares and timetables, and changes or cancels bookings.

Details from THSR that matter to a visitor:

• Reserved seats can be booked from 29 days ahead up to 5 minutes before departure.
• The mobile ticket works only on the phone that collected it. It cannot be moved to another phone.
• Cancelling costs NT$20 per ticket, and the change or cancellation must be done at least 30 minutes before departure.
• The app requires iOS 14.0 or later, or Android 7.0 or later.
• If Apple Pay or Google Pay with a Visa card fails in the app, THSR suggests another card brand or payment method.
• If you would rather collect a physical ticket, THSR says foreign passengers use their passport number plus the reservation number at a partner convenience store or station window.

Fares, the THSR Pass and the other ways to buy are in the high speed rail guide.

Taoyuan Airport MRT

The Taoyuan Metro English home page lists how to take the MRT, in-town check-in, and services and facilities. It does not point to a passenger app. In-town check-in is offered at A1 Taipei Main Station and A3 New Taipei Industrial Park Station, and details are on the site. Use tymetro.com.tw for timetables and ticket information.

Taiwan Railways (TRA)

The TRA home page offers timetable search, train number and status search, a TRA to THSR transfer search and online ticket booking, all on the website. No TRA app is mentioned there. Use railway.gov.tw for timetables; the fetched page is in Chinese, so check whether an English version is available before you rely on it.

Taxi apps

55688

The 55688 site, run by Taiwan Taxi (台灣大車隊), links to the App Store and Google Play listings from its home page. The site lists a taxi booking service (叫車服務) and an airport transfer service. For airport transfers it says to book three days ahead, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

The site is in Chinese. Whether the app has an English interface is not stated there, so confirm it in the store listing before you depend on it.

Uber

Uber’s Taiwan page says you can request a taxi through the app in cities where Uber Taxi is available, and it has taxi pages for Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung, Taoyuan, Tainan, Hsinchu and Yilan. It also lists Taoyuan, Taipei Songshan, Taichung and Kaohsiung airports. Uber Reserve lets you set a pickup time up to 90 days ahead, with free cancellation up to 60 minutes before.

The page does not state fares. Use the in-app estimate and see Taoyuan Airport to Taipei for the airport options compared.

Weather and earthquake apps

The Central Weather Administration (CWA) publishes two apps. Taiwan Weather gives a daily weather home page, backgrounds that change with the weather, an alarm assistant and more weather information. The separate Earthquake app is for quick notification and search of earthquakes and tsunamis related to Taiwan.

Without an app, the CWA English website has city and county forecasts, 368 township forecasts, a 7-day forecast, current conditions, radar and satellite images. For seasonal planning, see best time to visit Taiwan.

Not an app: the arrival card

Foreign visitors fill in the Taiwan Arrival Card on a website, twac.immigration.gov.tw. The FAQ says to submit within 7 days before arrival, including the day of arrival. It is free, and the official site never asks for credit card details. Avoid third-party sites that offer to submit it for you. The arrival card guide has the full steps.

Common mistakes

• Installing look-alike apps. Search for the exact publisher name, or use the download links on the official sites linked above.
• Waiting until the airport. Download apps and sign in on home Wi-Fi. Add a payment card to T Express before you need to buy a ticket.
• Assuming a Visa wallet payment will work in T Express. THSR warns it can fail. Have a second card brand ready.
• Moving a THSR QR ticket to another phone. It will not work on a different phone from the one that collected it.
• Treating an app as required for the metro. Bank cards and mobile wallets work at the gates.

Apps, features and store listings change. Check each publisher’s page before you fly.

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