# TWQR ride code

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/TW/twqr-ride-code
> research date 2026-10-19 · extracted at 2026-10-19
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

The **TWQR ride code** (TWQR乘車碼), launched by iPASS and FISC as the iPASS "TWQR" Travel Code, turns a banking or wallet app into a transit ticket. You open your app, tap "乘車碼" (ride code) and hold the QR code to the gate or bus reader; the fare comes straight off your bank account. It went live on 24 March 2025 for customers of nine institutions, Bank of Taiwan and Chunghwa Post among them. It began on the Kaohsiung, Taichung and New Taipei metros, buses and ferries [[1]](https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2025/03/25/2003834016). By December 2025 FISC's list of operators also included the Taipei Metro [[5]](https://www.twqr.com.tw/UploadFolder/upload/files/TWQR_RIDE_location.pdf).

| | |
|---|---|
| **Country** | Taiwan (`TW`) |
| **What it is** | A TWQR code for public transport, shown from your own payment app |
| **Banks or providers** | Launch partners: Bank of Taiwan, Land Bank, Taiwan Cooperative, First, Hua Nan, Chang Hwa, Mega, Taiwan Business Bank, Chunghwa Post [[1]](https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2025/03/25/2003834016); iPASS is the transport operators' acquirer [[2]](https://www.bnext.com.tw/article/88897/twqr-transit-code-20250326121541-ztdf2tjr) |
| **Since** | 24 Mar 2025 [[1]](https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2025/03/25/2003834016) |
| **Cost** | The normal fare; iPASS charges no fee for its own ride code [[9]](https://www.i-pass.com.tw/Page/iPMTrafficQR) |
| **Typical limit** | NT$500 held on your account while a bank card is bound to the ride code [[6]](https://www.twmp.com.tw/Faq?n=2a9cfc5bc60c4e619af27e21c9b0a4f7) |
| **Reaches** | Metros in Kaohsiung, Taichung, New Taipei and Taipei; buses in most counties outside Taipei and New Taipei, incl. Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu; Kuo-Kuang coaches; 2 ferry operators [[5]](https://www.twqr.com.tw/UploadFolder/upload/files/TWQR_RIDE_location.pdf) |
| **Code on paper?** | No. The ride code is generated on your phone each time; nothing is printed |

## How the ride code came to Taiwan

FISC's plan had been to bring transport operators into TWQR so that people could ride by showing a code from a wallet or banking app. The Central Bank listed it as the next step for TWQR in May 2024 [[11]](https://www.cbc.gov.tw/dl-207527-9a396d1e554a4459b742d48c21336d6e.html). iPASS (一卡通), the Kaohsiung-based transit card company, had been the first e-payment firm in Taiwan to offer a QR ride code of its own. It already connected to transport systems, so it worked with FISC on a ride-code format that any bank or wallet could generate [[2]](https://www.bnext.com.tw/article/88897/twqr-transit-code-20250326121541-ztdf2tjr).

- **24 March 2025: launch** at Kaohsiung's Formosa Boulevard Station, with the FSC's vice chairperson present. Customers of the nine institutions could ride the Kaohsiung Metro and Light Rail, the Taichung Metro, the New Taipei Metro, and partner buses, ferries and rail services [[1]](https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2025/03/25/2003834016). On New Taipei's network that meant the Danhai light rail [[2]](https://www.bnext.com.tw/article/88897/twqr-transit-code-20250326121541-ztdf2tjr). The Taipei Metro's gates couldn't read codes yet [[3]](https://www.techbang.com/posts/122153-your-phone-is-your-ticket-twqr-code-was-officially-launched).
- **15 April – 31 December 2025:** the nine institutions refunded 100 % of fares paid with the ride code to encourage people to try it [[1]](https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2025/03/25/2003834016).
- **3 January 2026: Taipei.** Taipei Metro and the buses of Taipei and New Taipei began taking QR ride codes from five e-payment apps: EasyWallet (悠遊付), iPASS MONEY, icash Pay, JKOPay and 全支付 [[7]](https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aloc/202512300056.aspx).

By late December 2025, FISC's list of ride-code operators named four metro systems (Kaohsiung with its light rail, Taichung, Taipei and New Taipei). It also named bus companies from Keelung to Pingtung and Taitung (none in Taipei or New Taipei), the public bus services of Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, Kuo-Kuang Motor Transport (everywhere except Taipei and New Taipei), and ferries in Kaohsiung and Taipei. The list notes that what is accepted depends on the vehicle's equipment [[5]](https://www.twqr.com.tw/UploadFolder/upload/files/TWQR_RIDE_location.pdf). The sources give no ridership figures.

## How to use it

1. **Set it up once.** In the 台灣行動支付 (Taiwan Pay) app, bind a debit card to the ride code. At least NT$500 must be available in the account, because the bank holds NT$500 against unpaid fares and penalties. This works with cards from the nine launch institutions, with more being added [[6]](https://www.twmp.com.tw/Faq?n=2a9cfc5bc60c4e619af27e21c9b0a4f7). In iPASS MONEY the ride code sits on the home screen [[9]](https://www.i-pass.com.tw/Page/iPMTrafficQR).
2. **Ride.** Tap 乘車碼, enter your password or biometrics (the first time, accept the terms), and hold the QR to the gate or reader [[4]](https://www.twqr.com.tw/).
3. **Tap in and out with the same account.** Some operators charge when you board, others when you leave, so scan both times with a ride code bound to the same account. Otherwise you may be charged twice [[6]](https://www.twmp.com.tw/Faq?n=2a9cfc5bc60c4e619af27e21c9b0a4f7) [[4]](https://www.twqr.com.tw/).
4. **Forgot to scan?** The operator's rules apply and may add a charge; on rail, go to the service desk [[6]](https://www.twmp.com.tw/Faq?n=2a9cfc5bc60c4e619af27e21c9b0a4f7).

On the Taipei Metro, Taipei's transport department said in December 2025: open the ride code (not the payment code) before you reach the gate. Walk on once the gate shows success, without waiting for your phone to confirm [[7]](https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aloc/202512300056.aspx).

## Limits and fees

| | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| **Fare** | The operator's normal fare, taken from your account |
| **Fee** | None for iPASS MONEY's ride code [[9]](https://www.i-pass.com.tw/Page/iPMTrafficQR) |
| **Held amount** | NT$500 per bound bank account, returned on unbinding by the bank's own timetable [[6]](https://www.twmp.com.tw/Faq?n=2a9cfc5bc60c4e619af27e21c9b0a4f7) |
| **When a code won't generate** | The card is locked, you're over your bank's purchase limit, or an earlier fare used the NT$500 hold and it hasn't been topped up [[6]](https://www.twmp.com.tw/Faq?n=2a9cfc5bc60c4e619af27e21c9b0a4f7) |
| **Discounts** | In Taipei, ride codes get the metro's frequent-rider rebate; bus–metro transfer discounts only with EasyWallet, iPASS MONEY and icash Pay (Jan 2026) [[7]](https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aloc/202512300056.aspx) |

Limits change; check your bank's current terms.

## Paying shops and businesses

The ride code is for transport only; shops use the ordinary [TWQR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/TW/twqr) codes. On the operator side, iPASS is the acquirer for transport companies, and its job is to help banks produce ride codes in the same format [[2]](https://www.bnext.com.tw/article/88897/twqr-transit-code-20250326121541-ztdf2tjr). The system links banks and e-payment firms through FISC's e-payment cross-institution platform, so one reader can take codes from both [[1]](https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2025/03/25/2003834016).

Several wallets ran their own ride codes before TWQR's: JKOPay, EasyWallet and icash Pay, each on a different set of transit systems [[2]](https://www.bnext.com.tw/article/88897/twqr-transit-code-20250326121541-ztdf2tjr).

## Paying across borders

Not yet. At the launch, FISC's chairman said FISC was talking to foreign payment firms so that visitors could one day pay fares through TWQR [[3]](https://www.techbang.com/posts/122153-your-phone-is-your-ticket-twqr-code-was-officially-launched). TWQR Inbound, which opened in April 2026 for Japan's PayPay, covers shop purchases. None of the sources says foreign wallets can generate a ride code. PayPay's alternative was selling preloaded EasyCards at Taiwan's airports [[12]](https://www.softbank.jp/en/sbnews/entry/20260423_01).

## How the ride code works

The ride code is a **consumer-presented** code: your app generates a QR and the gate scans it. Shop TWQR mostly works the other way, with you scanning a printed stand [[2]](https://www.bnext.com.tw/article/88897/twqr-transit-code-20250326121541-ztdf2tjr). FISC built it by combining its QR Code common payment standard with the Ministry of Transportation and Communications' "Transportation Ticket Two-Dimensional Barcode Data Format Standard" (交通運輸票證二維條碼資料格式標準) [[1]](https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2025/03/25/2003834016) [[3]](https://www.techbang.com/posts/122153-your-phone-is-your-ticket-twqr-code-was-officially-launched). Neither format is published in the sources, so the payload is not publicly documented. Some apps let you pick the fare type before showing the code; the TWQR site's example shows full fare and senior fare [[4]](https://www.twqr.com.tw/).

So the code at a Taiwanese metro gate is not printed on anything: you show it. A printed TWQR on a shop counter or a bill is a payment code, not a ticket; see [TWQR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/TW/twqr) and the [TWQR standard](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/twqr).

## Safety: don't hand over a live code

The sources name no scam specific to ride codes. The nearest is the payment-code scam Taiwan Mobile Payment Co warned about in April 2026: callers posing as bank or government staff ask for a screenshot of your QR code, or a screen-share on a video call. The company shortened its codes' validity to one minute in response [[10]](https://www.twmp.com.tw/News_detail/dc69f09fd4ca480fa5ebb66a06ec4e73).

- **Show the code only to the gate or reader.** Never send a screenshot of it to anyone.
- **Nobody official will ask for your code** or a video call; call the 165 anti-fraud line if someone does [[10]](https://www.twmp.com.tw/News_detail/dc69f09fd4ca480fa5ebb66a06ec4e73).
- **Check your trips:** iPASS keeps a ride-code trip record online, so you can spot charges you don't recognise [[9]](https://www.i-pass.com.tw/Page/iPMTrafficQR).

## The ride code and the alternatives in Taiwan

| Way to pay | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| **TWQR ride code from a bank app** | Riders who don't want a card or wallet balance | Paid from your bank account; NT$500 held [[6]](https://www.twmp.com.tw/Faq?n=2a9cfc5bc60c4e619af27e21c9b0a4f7) |
| **Wallet ride codes** (iPASS MONEY, EasyWallet, icash Pay, JKOPay) | Taipei, transfer discounts | Taipei transfer discounts with three of them only [[7]](https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aloc/202512300056.aspx) |
| **Stored-value card** (iPASS, EasyCard, icash) | Everyone, tourists | Unchanged on the Taipei Metro alongside QR codes [[7]](https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aloc/202512300056.aspx) |
| **Credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay** | Taipei Metro | Planned after a 6-month test from Jan 2026; not on Taipei buses [[7]](https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aloc/202512300056.aspx) [[8]](https://udn.com/news/story/7266/9187799) |
| **[Taiwan Pay](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/TW/taiwan-pay)** | Shops, transfers, bills | The app that holds the bank-card ride code |

## Sources

1. Taipei Times, "iPASS launches QR code payment system for public transport", 25 Mar 2025. <https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2025/03/25/2003834016>
2. Business Next (數位時代), "TWQR乘車碼上線！這些地方首波啟用、北捷10月跟上，怎麼刷一次看懂", 26 Mar 2025. <https://www.bnext.com.tw/article/88897/twqr-transit-code-20250326121541-ztdf2tjr>
3. T客邦 (Techbang), "「TWQR 乘車碼」正式啟動，手機就是車票！高雄／台中／新北捷運率先上路", 25 Mar 2025. <https://www.techbang.com/posts/122153-your-phone-is-your-ticket-twqr-code-was-officially-launched>
4. FISC, "TWQR" (official site, ride-code section), read 19 Oct 2026. <https://www.twqr.com.tw/>
5. FISC, TWQR ride-code operator list (PDF, untitled), created 30 Dec 2025. <https://www.twqr.com.tw/UploadFolder/upload/files/TWQR_RIDE_location.pdf>
6. Taiwan Mobile Payment Co, "臺灣行動支付 - 常見問題" (ride code), read 19 Oct 2026. <https://www.twmp.com.tw/Faq?n=2a9cfc5bc60c4e619af27e21c9b0a4f7>
7. CNA, "台北捷運公車1/3開放QR code搭乘　行動支付同享常客優惠", 30 Dec 2025. <https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aloc/202512300056.aspx>
8. United Daily News, "刷手機可搭北捷！明年1月啟用乘車碼 多家行動支付皆可用", 7 Dec 2025. <https://udn.com/news/story/7266/9187799>
9. iPASS Corporation, "乘車碼 - iPASS一卡通" (last modified 18 Sep 2026), read 19 Oct 2026. <https://www.i-pass.com.tw/Page/iPMTrafficQR>
10. Taiwan Mobile Payment Co, "臺灣行動支付公司協同金融機構提升相關防詐機制", 9 Apr 2026. <https://www.twmp.com.tw/News_detail/dc69f09fd4ca480fa5ebb66a06ec4e73>
11. Central Bank of the Republic of China (Taiwan), 金融穩定報告 113年5月, "專欄3：我國QR Code共通支付標準TWQR", May 2024. <https://www.cbc.gov.tw/dl-207527-9a396d1e554a4459b742d48c21336d6e.html>
12. SoftBank News, "Japan's PayPay Customers Can Now Make Mobile Payments in Taiwan", 23 Apr 2026. <https://www.softbank.jp/en/sbnews/entry/20260423_01>

*Researched 19 October 2026. Limits and bank offerings change; the banks' own pages are authoritative.*