Taiwan High Speed Rail: 50% senior fare at 65, 60-to-64 discount ended in 2015

Taking an older relative on Taiwan's high-speed rail can halve the fare, provided the traveller has turned 65 by the day of travel. As of October 2026, the fare product table on the Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) website lists the senior ticket discount as 50% off.

Claims online go further. One message asserted that "THSR discounts extend to ages 50 to 65", and Report No. 927, published by the Taiwan FactCheck Center on 29 April 2021, rated that claim false. As for age 60, THSR did once offer a discount, but it ended as long ago as 2015.

Senior ticket eligibility is based on age on the travel date

According to the fare product table on the THSR website (viewed on 28 October 2026), the senior ticket applies to citizens aged 65 or above, with age measured on the day of travel. Buyers must hold a national identity card, or a government-issued photo document showing the ID number and full date of birth.

In other words, what matters is the travel date, not the booking date. If an older relative turns 65 a few days after departure, they do not qualify for the senior ticket on that day.

Storm Media reported on 27 October 2026 that buyers must also hold Republic of China nationality and carry their documents for inspection when travelling. The website wording refers to "citizens", so travellers with other types of documents who are unsure should ask THSR beforehand.

Which cabins and purchase channels the 50% fare covers

The THSR website's terms for group offers on designated services state that passengers with concession status, including seniors, those with a love-and-care (disability) concession and children, keep the existing concession discount, which is 50% off the full standard-class reserved-seat fare.

What about Business class? Storm Media reported that the half-price senior ticket applies in standard class, non-reserved seating and Business class. However, the THSR web page does not state word for word that the senior fare in Business class is also 50% off. Families hoping to give an older relative more space should check with THSR before buying.

On where to buy, TVBS News reported on 29 July 2025 that senior tickets can be bought through the THSR website, the app, convenience stores and station counters, and that photo identification must be carried.

Senior tickets and early-bird tickets have different scopes

The early-bird page on the THSR website (viewed on 28 October 2026) says early-bird offers are released in limited numbers at three tiers, 65%, 80% and 90% of the full fare, and that tickets revert to full price once each tier sells out in turn.

The same page says early-bird offers apply only to one-way full-fare tickets in standard-class reserved seats, are for the named passenger only, and are not sold at station counters or ticket vending machines. A senior ticket is not a full-fare ticket, so it falls outside the early-bird scheme.

A common claim online is that senior tickets cannot be combined with early-bird offers. We found no such explicit statement on the THSR website; all that can be confirmed is that early-bird offers are limited to full-fare tickets.

For travellers aged 65 or above, the senior fare of 50% is already lower than the best early-bird price of 65%.

Is there a discount at 60? The senior offer ended in 2015

According to the Taiwan FactCheck Center report, THSR once ran a "mature-age discount" for passengers aged 60 to 64, in force from 8 October 2013 to 25 June 2015. That offer has therefore ended more than ten years ago.

The same report quotes THSR as saying it offers no discounted fares for people aged 50 to 65, so the rumoured 25%-off (75% of full fare) claim is untrue. THSR issued a press release on 26 April 2021 to clarify, the fifth time it had addressed a similar rumour; the previous four were in November 2016, February 2017, August 2017 and November 2018.

Note that the conclusion that no new discount exists at 60 rests mainly on the 2021 fact-check report and THSR's statements at the time. We found no THSR announcement reconfirming this in October 2026. However, the fare table on the website as of October 2026 still sets the senior threshold at 65.

Planning tickets for a family trip

• Older relatives aged 65 on the travel date: buy the senior ticket at 50% off, and carry photo identification.
• Other adults travelling together: look at early-bird tickets, released in limited numbers at 65%, 80% and 90% of the full fare and reverting to full price once sold out; they are not sold at station counters or vending machines, so buy early through another channel.
• Children under 12: the 2021 fact-check report says they also pay 50%, as do holders of a pink disability certificate; check the latest fare table on the website before departure.
• Family members who travel often: Storm Media mentions commuter passes at about 49% of the fare when counted at two trips a day, and multi-ride tickets at as low as 82%; these are not exclusive to those aged 65.

The senior threshold in the website's fare table is clear: age 65, counted on the day of travel, 50% off. Checking the THSR fare table before departure is safer than relying on forwarded messages.

Fares and conditions in this article are as of October 2026; the Taiwan High Speed Rail website prevails.

Prices and details correct as of October 2026

Compiled by the F50 Editorial Team from public sources, for general reference only and not professional advice. Details are correct as of the publication date and may change.