A flexible bus service scheme that served Newport via an app ended last month after a year-long trial.

Fflecsi buses were not fixed to a timetable or route, instead residents could call or us an app to book a bus at a request time.

The service was like a taxi and would turn up at the requested time and place the customer needed.

Since ending on Sunday, September 25, it has left many residents devastated by the news as they felt safer using the service than a regular bus.

Deborah Evans, from Newport, was a big fan of the service which helped her to get home safely after a nightshift and now struggles for transport after it ended.

She said: “I work in a respite home at the Gaer estate, I work four 12-hour night shifts a week, and the service they provided was fantastic.

South Wales Argus: Deborah Evans Deborah Evans (Image: Deborah Evans)

Deborah Evans (left) with the night drivers Darren (centre) and Jackie (right). Picture: Deborah Evans  

“I live on the Ringland estate, and they would pick me up and drop me off right outside my workplace in the Gear.

“It was a relief to know that when I finished a shift, they would pick me up and return me straight to my home.”

Newport was one of the first places in Wales to try out the new form of bus travel and provided a cheap alternative to regular buses.

The service also provided buses late in the evening to give the public with extra transport to get to and from locations safely.

Miss Evans added: “They played fab music on the bus, I am devastated to lose this service as there is no connecting service from Newport town centre to the Gaer estate for night shifts.

“There is one stagecoach connection, but there would be a 25-minute gap to wait and in this day and age that is not an option I would choose at night.

“I just want to say a special thank you to the night drivers Jackie and Darren and to many others for the service they have provided over the past year and good luck in your new adventures.”