Myriads of Buses

U-Bus, Guo Guang, E-Go, Kamlan, city buses, regional buses, long haul buses, short trip buses, criss crossing routes, straight line routes (haha, not a chance), and of course the ubiquitous tour bus. There are so many lines and companies of buses in Taiwan that it will make your head spin looking for the line you need. They are nearly all 1/2 full to packed full all the time.

The Bus Station Map for E-Go

Figuring out where one can get off and alight is challenging with a native and just about impossible not having grown up in this bus culture. I'm currently taking the line E-Go to Taipei. It goes from Window on China to Songshan Airport straight up Dunhua Rd. It's a perfect route for me. I do everything on that stretch of road and can easily get on the MRT blue line at Zhongxiao Dunhua Station.

Alighting in Longtan, where I currently reside, is easy and straight forward. It's the main bus terminal for E-Go lines and has an announcer at the ready for departures and arrivals. One must understand Chinese decently to find the announcer useful of course since nothing is translated into any other language. That is, if it involves a real, live person. That's good for my Chinese practice though, and my skills have definitely improved since riding alone on the bus systems from Longtan to Taipei.

Upon arriving in Taipei it seems that I am still a little short on understanding where we can get off the bus and how to do that. This past week I was able to get off in an unmarked bus station (at least unmarked for the E-Go bus), and get on in the same area. So, it seems that there is a little leeway for those who must otherwise walk for 15 minutes or longer to the official bus stops of this particular bus company.

I'm glad to say that I'm now beginning to feel more comfortable and at times even fearless when asking to get off the bus. It was the realization that if I don't do anything I'd be headed to the airport where I'd face either a 45 minute walk back to my destination down Dunhua Rd. or a 15 minute MRT ride with a 10 minute walk.