Using Uber in Taipei?
 

Hello All,
I am about to visit Taipei and was wondering if anyone had experience using Uber there to take them from the TPE airport into my hotel downtown?

I do not speak any Mandarin, but was hopeful that by inputting my hotel's address, that would be sufficient? Is Uber easy to use there if you don't speak the language?

If using standard taxis there in TPE or from the airport, do you generally pay in cash or do they take credit cards? I am leaning towards Uber as well, since it would just charge my cc directly and I could avoid using up my cash.

Any ideas or tips greatly appreciated! :)

Uber is relatively easy to use if you want to pay via credit card. The app will take the location of the hotel, and direct the driver accordingly.

Alternatively, you can use Klook.com to book a ride. That way you can specify the address long before landing at the airport, and the confirmation email will include the hotel address you input.

The vast majority of taxis within the city are going to want cash, so stick to Uber if you want to avoid handling cash.

There aren't that many ATM's in the city, so it's best to have cash before leaving airport.

Thanks a lot! That is very helpful!

There aren't many ATMs in the city???????? I never had any problem finding an ATM.

I generally notice them only in bank branches, and the suburban districts (still within Taipei metro) have a lot lower density of ATM's than the downtown/business districts.

Also will be in Taipei in a few weeks for a short visit. Any tips re picking up Uber at the airport? Arriving at TSA, not TPE. Do they have a designated meet-up location for Uber and other non-licensed drivers or do you have to find them in the scrum at the arrivals doors?

Also, any politics/dangers to be aware of vis a vis taxi drivers vs. Uber drivers? Was in Santiago, Chile last year where taxi drivers had recently surrounded and killed an Uber driver, and Uber drivers were very careful to not stand out - pretending they're you're "friend" or a family member picking you up, asked us to walk to the far side of the parking lot to meet them, etc. Any such concerns in Taipei?

Thanks

Huh???? What are you talking about?

There's an ATM in every convenience store, and there's a convenience store on practically every corner in the city. Banks are also easy to find. The only way you'll have trouble finding an ATM is if you're doing the Bird Box Challenge.

Hmm, can't say that I've ever noticed ATMs in the convenience stores. I've seen those kiosks used to pay bills, etc... Are those also ATM's?

Then again, I stay with family so I don't really stop in convenience stores very often.

I guess I'm just used to seeing street-level ATM's like in US/Europe.

in Taipei City (as well in Kaoshiung City where I have a house) almost all 7-11's/ Famiy Marts have ATMS as well all subway stations, ect. My one only comment about the 7-11 ATMS which are mostly China Trust Bank, charge non account holders a service fee like USA banks (NT$100), but I found no other Bank/ATM's charge in Taiwan for my USA ATM Card so I prefer Family Mart ATMS.

I'd recommend taking the MRT. It's around NT$160 to downtown taking about 35mins, then taking a taxi or Uber from there.
A taxi will be around NT$1300 and takes closer to one hour. Uber is around NT$1000 and same travel time.

No, the kiosks you're talking about are separate machines. [Almost] every 7-11 has a China Trust ATM in it. Family Marts and HiLifes have contracts with different banks (can't recall which). Sometimes they're tucked away in the back, but they're there. Banks, supermarkets, malls, post offices, even at the front gates of many schools, they all have ATMs. Sorry, I'm not trying to be snarky, but to say that ATMs are hard to find in Taiwan is kind of ridiculous.

Is that right? I have a China Trust account, so I've never had to pay the fee. But when I use other banks' ATMs, they all charge a small fee for non-account holders. But it usually something silly like NT$6. I wonder if the NT$100 fee is only for foreign bank cards?

Car travel time is heavily traffic dependent. During rush hour, sure it can take an hour (or more) - but outside of rush hour, it will be much faster. I once made it from Zhongshan area to TPE in under 30 mins on a Saturday morning.