Digital platforms make it possible to create individual forms of operation to innovate public transport and to improve the quality of service. These forms of mobility are currently discussed intensively under the term ‘on-demand mobility’ and increasingly integrated into urban transport systems. The discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of line and area traffic is however often more emotional than rational. The objective comparison of systems in this discussion paper is based on facts and figures, using the example of a small town, showing the relative efficiency of the respective systems. The results underline once again the need for a data-based approach for the optimization of both the cost as well as the quality side. Since mobility is a complex and fundamentally individual construct, analyses such as these cannot be applied as a blueprint to any territories, but require a case-specific adaptation.