If you have a one-hour journey to work it is pleasant to ride by bus. You can nod off for a little while on the soft chair, listen to the radio or perhaps read the morning paper while contributing to a cleaner environment.No sleepy commuter would however like to get off after half the journey, cross a bridge in a blizzard, and freezing in the winter cold, stand waiting for another bus. The Interreg project Grensependeln has offered 600 Swedish and Norwegian commuters a better daily life. At the moment, there are 16 bus departures every day across the border and the passengers can lean back and admire the bridge Svinesundsbron through the window.– We have seen an increasing number of commuters from the bordering country. There was an obvious need for this bus service, says project leader Michael Stjernberg. Most of the commuting inhabitants of Strömstad who are working in Norway whereas the border trade on the Swedish side employs many Norwegians.Grensependeln has played an important role to these people.– From June to December we have counted 23 000 passengers, which is a lot more than estimated at this early stage. This is a slow process, people generally don’t change their travel habits overnight but more and more people are asking for this service that takes them to work on the other side of the border. The only problem for Grensependeln is that the bus must pay the toll, each time it crosses the border. Considering the 32 passages every day, this comes to a lot of money.– We can manage now, with the external financing, but what will happen thereafter? The project team is pulling various strings to solve the issue and chances are good of succeeding before the end of the project period. The bus service is also very interesting for tourists and students. Michael Stjernberg is certain that the number of passengers will continue to grow.– It usually takes two years before you have established a new bus service and we have only been running for six months