Growing up in a semi-rural area, even as a teenager, the main form of transportation was traveling by car or taking the school bus. Of course, we had bikes, and some people even owned horses or ATVs, but these weren’t exactly road-friendly forms of transportation. Attending college in Providence, and having traveled in Boston, I had taken local buses, trains and the subway before. But nothing could have prepared me for the various forms of transportation I was to see in Taiwan.
Buses, cars, trucks and taxis side by side with bicycles and scooters, all come to a stop at the red light as the local train glides through the intersection. Just off the coast, you can see the ferry on its 5-minute journey to Cijin island, while just a few stories beneath your feet runs the local metro system. In Taiwan, and especially in Kaohsiung where the public transportation systems are so extensive, there is a myriad of ways to get from place to place. Unlike in the U.S., virtually all major cities in Taiwan have an extensive public bus or Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) – metro system. Additionally, U-bike rental and drop-off locations are conveniently scattered throughout cities such as Taipei and can be found near most major parks and MRT stations.
