THE Fflecsi bus scheme is coming to an end in Newport next month, and for many of our readers, it is a case of "what might have been".

A 12-month trial of the "demand-responsive travel" initiative is due to finish in the city on September 25.

Run by Transport for Wales, Fflecsi was a booking-only bus service which involved buses not fixed to set timetables or routes.

Instead, residents could call or use an app to book a bus, which would then turn up - similar to a taxi service - at the requested time.

The Welsh Government hailed the Newport trial as "successful" and said it had provided "substantial data... to improve future public transport route planning" in the area.

We asked our readers on social media for their opinions, and many of them were less impressed by the Fflecsi service.

Chief among their criticisms was the efficiency of the scheme, and many readers said they'd had problems booking a bus online.

Mark Seymour called Fflecsi a "great idea in theory, but booking seemed impossible".

"Shame that the systems let down an innovative idea," he added.

James Richards said he "hardly ever saw people using them" but "every time I wanted one to get home, [I] could never book one due to 'unprecedented demand'".

Emma Young raised a similar point. She said she "only used them once, as whenever I wanted to book them there were none available - what was the point in having them?"

And Ceri Stead said: "Could never book one anyway then would see it drive past the place I need to go [with] no passengers."

But some Fflesci users shared more positive experiences.

Claire Peach said the service was "very" successful for her family, and helped her son get to work and his studies.

Craig Holyoake told us the service was "great" and "very prompt".

Amanda McBrearty said her mother had praised the "excellent" drivers, while Cerrie Crockett said it was a "shame" the "reliable" service was coming to an end in Newport.

Fflecsi works in a similar way to a taxi service, and this was raised by readers in both a positive and a negative light.

Mary Rose Bacca-Webb said she'd had "no problems" with the service, which she called "better than a taxi".

But Rich Jones described Fflecsi as being "like a very inefficient taxi service that that tax payer subsidises".

Michael Enea also raised concerns about the funding, asking: "How much of loss has this hit TfW (Transport for Wales)?"

Some readers shared accounts of their own negative experiences with Fflecsi.

Lisa Treharne said a bus had "dropped my mum of 62 ages away from [my] house in pitch black, when there is a stop outside my house".

Sarah Williams added: "An 83-year-old friend of mine has had to phone a taxi a few times to the bus stop as they often don’t turn up."

And others said the service had started out well, until it was expanded across Newport.

"It was good in the beginning until more people started using them," said Leanne Cook. "My worst experience, aside from not regularly not being able to book one, was a journey from Bassaleg to the Royal Gwent Hospital early in the morning. Normally a 15-20 min journey, but on this particular day took over an hour."

Liz Urquhart said Fflecsi "worked really well in St Julians" but when it expanded "it was awful".

"I know a lot of people who struggled getting a Fflecsi after it was expanded," she added.

City bus firm Newport Transport will announce a new bus timetable in a fortnight, and new services will be introduced from Sunday, September 4.

This means passengers will have a three-week transition period before Fflecsi services come to a stop.