Kaohsiung

The rental office is about a 10-minute walk from Luodong Station on the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA), or about 3 minutes from the Luodong Bus Terminal. It's located on a main street, so it's easy to find. When you give your name, they'll ask for your passport, Japanese driver's license, and a Chinese translation of your driver's license issued by JAF (Japan Automobile Federation). For gasoline, they give you a card for affiliated gas stations, which you use for cashless payments. Payment is settled upon return. This time, I didn't refuel before returning the car, and paid at the rental office based on the mileage. The car was a LUXGEN U6GT crossover SUV from a Taiwanese manufacturer. It's probably comparable to a Toyota RAV4. Just like when renting in Japan, the first thing to do is check the car. It's a good idea to take pictures of any scratches or dents beforehand. It was easy to drive, the brakes worked well, and my trip to the Taiwan Mountains was very comfortable. They have rental offices all over Taiwan, and it seems you can return the car to a different office. The staff were friendly, and I would like to use their service again next time.

To use the EasyCard (IC card) with the You-Bike rental bicycle service, free insurance registration became mandatory this spring, requiring a local mobile phone number, so I used a SIM card. There are several SIM card counters in the airport, so be sure to check which counter you need. You will also need to show a screenshot of the QR code from your passport pre-registration. It's not difficult if you carefully read the instructions when applying.