Svipper

Svipper is the public transport brand of Troms, the Arctic county of northern Norway around Tromsø and Harstad. Beyond its buses, it runs the fast boats and car ferries that hold this fjord-and-island coast together — the crossings that move people between the mainland, the outer islands and communities the roads never reach.

Fjord ferries and Arctic fast boats

The signature crossing is Lyngseidet–Olderdalen, a car ferry over the Lyngenfjord beneath the sawtooth peaks of the Lyngen Alps. Fast passenger boats (hurtigbåt) run the long water routes too — from Finnsnes to Tromsø past Senja, and out from Harstad to islands such as Engenes and Kjøtta. For the small island communities, these boats are simply the way home.

One app, cash-free travel

Journeys are planned and paid for in the Svipper app, with the same zoned ticket covering boat, bus and ferry; a summer Sommerbilletten opens up a week of travel across Troms. Boats and buses are cash-free, and timetables appear in Norwegian and North Sámi (Davvisámegillii), the language of the region's Sámi communities.