Can I use YouBike without a Taiwan phone number?

Yes. Use Single Rental in the official app with a Visa, Mastercard, JCB or UnionPay credit card. You enroll in the free injury insurance in the same app flow; without it you cannot rent.

Is the NT$3,000 charged?

It is a pre-authorization hold for Single Rental in all the regions checked. After a normal return it is released when the authorization ends; timing depends on your bank.

Do I get the free first 30 minutes?

Not with Single Rental. The free or discounted first half hour is a city subsidy for members (and pass holders), and the rules differ by city.

Can I rent in Taipei and return in another city?

YouBike charges a cross-area dispatch fee when a bike is returned in a different area. Check the table on the renting city's rate page.

Do I need a helmet on a YouBike?

Not by law: YouBike 2.0 is a pedal bicycle and 2.0E is an electric-assist bicycle, and neither category has a legal helmet requirement. Cycle.tw still recommends wearing one.

Can I carry a passenger?

No. YouBike says its bikes are for one rider, and the traffic rules ban carrying passengers on bicycles except one young child in an approved child seat, which YouBike does not offer.

YouBike for visitors: renting, insurance and prices by city

Good for Short city trips, station to riverside, an easy hour or two
Not for Mountain roads and long-distance rides: YouBike says so itself
No Taiwan number Use Single Rental with a credit card in the official app
Card hold NT$3,000 pre-authorization for Single Rental: a hold, not a fee
Insurance Since January 1, 2026, every rider must be enrolled in the free injury insurance before renting

YouBike is Taiwan's public bike share: the yellow bikes docked outside metro stations, train stations and on street corners. YouBike 2.0 is a pedal bike; 2.0E is the electric-assist version. It operates in: Taipei City, New Taipei City, Taoyuan City, Hsinchu County, Hsinchu City, Hsinchu Science Park, Miaoli County, Taichung City, Chiayi County, Chiayi City, Tainan City, Kaohsiung City, Pingtung County, Taitung County.

Local fares and stationsThis page covers renting anywhere in Taiwan. For one city in detail, see YouBike in Taipei and YouBike in Taichung.

Two ways to rent

Without a Taiwan mobile number: Single Rental

Without a Taiwan mobile number, rent as a 'Single Rental' (臨時會員, temporary member) in the official YouBike app. YouBike describes this option as suited to foreign visitors. Payment is by credit card only, and the card network must be Visa, Mastercard, JCB or UnionPay. Activation needs email verification. Each authorization lasts 120 hours; after that you authorize again.

Update the YouBike app (iOS 14.0 or later, Android 9.0 or later).
Tap Scan (掃碼借車), choose Single Rental, read the authorization notice and member terms.
Fill in your personal details, accept the NT$3,000 pre-authorization notice and add a Visa, Mastercard, JCB or UnionPay credit card.
Enter the email verification code to finish activation.
Check in the side menu under public-bicycle injury insurance that you are enrolled and that the details match the rider. Without it you cannot rent.
At the dock, press the scan button, scan the QR code on the screen or type the code, and pull the bike back when the screen says so.

The NT$3,000 holdA pre-authorization of NT$3,000 is held on the card for YouBike 2.0 and 2.0E. After a normal rental and return, the system cancels the authorization when it expires; how fast the hold disappears depends on your card bank's working days. The NT$3,000 figure appears on the rate pages for Taipei, New Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung and Tainan and in the national FAQ, so it is not Taipei-only. It is a hold, not a fee.

Single rentals pay the base rate of the area where you rent and never receive city ride subsidies (such as Taipei's free first 30 minutes for members).

With a Taiwan mobile number: membership

Membership needs a Taiwan mobile number: the number becomes your account and you receive an SMS verification code. You also enter your national ID, resident certificate (ARC) or passport number, which is used for the free public-bicycle injury insurance. On the website you can only link an EasyCard or iPASS; to pay by credit card or e-payment, register in the YouBike app. One membership works in every YouBike city; you do not register again in each one.

Prepare a Taiwan mobile number, your ID, ARC or passport number, and an EasyCard or iPASS (or use the app for a credit card).
Register on youbike.com.tw or in the YouBike app and confirm the SMS code.
Make sure the card you will tap is enrolled in the public-bicycle injury insurance, with yourself as the insured person.
Tap the card on the dock's reader, or scan the dock's QR code in the app, then pull the bike straight back.

Insurance: required since 2026

YouBike's ruleSince January 1, 2026, every YouBike rider, members and Single Rental users alike, must be enrolled in the free public-bicycle injury insurance before renting a YouBike 2.0 or 2.0E anywhere in Taiwan. If you are not enrolled, the system will not let you rent. The premium is paid by the city and county governments, not the rider. The card user and the registered insured person must be the same person, or the insurer will not pay.

Single Rental users can enroll only in the official YouBike app, as part of activating Single Rental. Afterwards, open the side menu and check the public-bicycle injury insurance entry to confirm the insured details match the person riding.
New members who enter real-name details at sign-up have their first card enrolled automatically. Existing members and the 2nd to 5th cards must be enrolled by the member in the app or on the website.
Cover listed by YouBike: death up to NT$1,000,000 (riders under 15: funeral expenses up to NT$690,000), disability up to NT$1,000,000, hospital treatment NT$1,000 per day, fractures without hospital stay up to NT$30,000. Separate third-party liability cover pays up to NT$2,000,000 per injured or killed third party. YouBike says claims are refused where the rider broke traffic rules.

Our adviceThis is basic accident cover for YouBike rides only. Visitors should still carry their own travel insurance.

Prices differ by city

On November 4, 2026 the base fares were the same on the city and county rate pages we checked, but the subsidies are very different, and Single Rental riders get none of them. Any part of 30 minutes is charged as 30 minutes. Never assume Taipei's free first half hour applies elsewhere.