Guides · Cycling in Taiwan
KHH Kaohsiung Airport Bike Pickup & Transfer
Riders landing at Kaohsiung Airport and heading south to start riding will find it works differently from Taoyuan and Taichung. The Kaohsiung MRT Red Line's airport station is built into the terminal, so after customs you can walk to the platform without going outside or catching a shuttle. The airport also sits inside Kaohsiung City, which puts it close to southern Taiwan routes like Kenting and Dapeng Bay. This guide covers the two terminals and oversized luggage, the arrival pickup routine, and the full rules for bringing a bike on the MRT. It is the third in our four-airport series.
Southern Taiwan's Air Gateway, With Separate Domestic and International Terminals
Kaohsiung International Airport is at No. 2, Zhongshan 4th Road, Xiaogang District. It is a purely civilian airport and has long been regarded as southern Taiwan's air gateway. Domestic and international flights use two separate terminals. The Executive Yuan has approved a plan to merge them into one new terminal, but there is no confirmed completion date, so riders bringing a bike into Taiwan will still check in and collect baggage at one of the two existing terminals.
The international terminal's arrival hall has ATMs, duty-free service counters and banks on either side, with an immigration counter and a foreign worker service station near the exit. Airlines sometimes change check-in terminals at short notice, so check the terminal on your airline's notification before you travel.
Storage and Packing for Bike Boxes and Oversized Baggage
Two baggage-service vendors at Kaohsiung Airport can handle oversized gear like bike boxes. Wan Chou Tong International offers baggage storage and coin lockers (NT$60 per use for large lockers, NT$30 for small, billed in 3-hour blocks, maximum 1 day), at the domestic terminal's baggage counter and the east side of the international terminal's 3rd-floor departure hall. Phoenix Air Cargo Services has a storage, packing and shipping counter on the west side of that departure hall, open 05:00 to 20:30. The airport has not published a dedicated route for checking in or collecting bike boxes, so confirm the exact location and scope of service with your airline or the baggage counter on the day.
A bike box comes out on the regular baggage carousel like any other checked bag. If your connection is tight, or you'd rather not haul the box around looking for onward transport, a support vehicle can meet you outside the terminal and take you, your luggage and your bike in one trip.
Taxi Stands at Both Terminal Exits, First 30 Minutes of Parking Free
Metered taxis queue at the ground-floor exits of both terminals. International arrivals pay an extra NT$50 waiting fee, domestic arrivals don't, and family-friendly service and several card payment options are available. The airport has 3 car parks and 2 motorcycle parks, open 24 hours. Small cars get the first 30 minutes free with a NT$240 daily cap, and online lookup and reservations are supported, which suits family or friends driving in for a short pickup.
We found no numbered meeting-pole system like Taoyuan's at Kaohsiung Airport. The ground-floor exits of both terminals are the main pickup area, so agree on a specific meeting spot with your driver in advance, such as the international or domestic exit, and follow the signage on site. Parking rates and waiting fees get adjusted, so check the airport's latest announcements before you travel.
MRT Red Line Station R4 Connects Straight Into the Terminals and Accepts Full-Size Bikes
The Kaohsiung MRT Red Line's Kaohsiung International Airport Station (R4) connects directly into the terminals. Exit 2 leads to the domestic terminal and Exit 6 to the international terminal, so after customs you can walk to the station without going outside or catching a shuttle. Neither Taoyuan nor Taichung airport has a station built into the airport this way. The Red Line reaches city stops like Sanduo Shopping District and Kaohsiung Station with no transfer, with trains every 4 to 6 minutes at peak and no more than 8 minutes off-peak.
Kaohsiung MRT explicitly allows full-size, non-folding bikes through R4 station, up to 120 cm tall, 180 cm long and 70 cm wide. Bikes are allowed weekdays 9:00 to 16:00 and from 20:00 until close, and all day on holidays, so on weekdays the hours before 9:00 and the evening peak from 16:00 to 20:00 are off-limits, which is worth building into your schedule. As of February 1, 2026, Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corporation revised the rules and published a list of stations that block regular bikes all day (Kaisyuan, Formosa Boulevard, Kaohsiung Station, Aozihdi, Kaohsiung Arena, Zuoying and Hamasen). R4 Kaohsiung International Airport Station is not on the list, so bikes are allowed. The fare is a combined one-person-one-bike rate of NT$80 regardless of distance, and bikes are restricted to the first through fourth door areas of the lead car, one bike per door area. The company reserves the right to adjust stations, hours and fares, so check its website for the latest announcement.
Folding bikes follow a separate rule. If the folded dimensions add up to 220 cm or less (length plus width plus height), they ride free at any open Red or Orange Line station during operating hours (6:00 a.m. to midnight), with none of the time restrictions above. Escalators and stairs are off-limits, so use the accessible ramp or elevator (maximum two bikes per trip), and keep the bike with you the whole way.
An Airport Inside the City, With Buses Running Straight to Kenting
Kaohsiung Airport sits in Xiaogang District, right next to the city core, and the Red Line reaches downtown stops with no transfer (see the previous section). Taoyuan Airport is in Dayuan District, and Taichung Airport is in Shalu District, sharing its grounds with an air force base. Both are a fair distance from their downtowns. Of the four, Kaohsiung is the airport closest to city life.
Kaohsiung Airport also has official bus routes toward southern Taiwan's cycling destinations, including Route 9117 (Kaohsiung-Kenting), 9117A (Kaohsiung-Fangliao) and the 9117B Kenting Airport Express, all payable with EasyCard, iPASS or TPASS. Few Taiwan airports offer public transit that links straight to routes like the Dapeng Bay loop and the Hengchun Peninsula. Whether these buses can carry a bike box or bulky gear is worth confirming with the bus operator, or you can take a support vehicle and skip the uncertainty of bus transfers. The Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area covers the Hengchun Peninsula in Pingtung County, including Dapeng Bay, Xiaoliuqiu, Sichongxi, Hengchun, Manzhou and Kenting, in the same Kaoping region as the airport. For actual distances and travel times, use a route-planning tool or ask your transfer service for a live estimate.
When the MRT's Bike Hours Don't Line Up, a Support Vehicle Fills the Gap
Kaohsiung MRT allows full-size bikes through R4 station, but not during the weekday peak from 16:00 to 20:00. If you land on a late flight, or your schedule falls in that window, a support vehicle can meet you outside the terminal and take you and your bike together, with no MRT hours to work around. Groups with several bikes, or anyone carrying enough gear that queuing at the station and moving a bike through the elevator isn't practical, can skip that too.
24EZGO has provided logistics support for cycling races and events since 2020. That works out to an average of 10 to 20 events a year and over 3,000 riders served. We run 4 support vehicles, and a single dispatch can support up to 8 riders and 8 bikes at once. Whether you're heading straight for Kenting or the Hengchun Peninsula after landing, or just need people and bikes moved to your next stop, tell us your flight time, group size and bike count, and we'll arrange the transfer.
Sources
Rules and road conditions change, so always check the official announcements before you travel.
Related guides
- Airport Transfers With a Bike｜Taxi, Shuttle, MRT or Support Vehicle
- TPE Taoyuan Airport Bike Pickup & Transfer
- TSA Songshan Airport Bike Pickup & Transfer
- RMQ Taichung Airport Bike Pickup & Transport
Elsewhere in the ecosystem
- The TCU Cycling Ecosystemfifteen self-built systems linking races, training, results, maintenance and group rides
Need a support vehicle?
Tell us your plan and we will suggest an option based on group size, bike count, and days.