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There's a Better Way to Date Online--If You Like Trains

The Atlantic - Technology

As a single person wandering through the world, it can be difficult to find someone who loves all the right things: parks, subways, bike lanes, human-scale buildings, high-density housing, debates over the ideal length of a city block. Even on a dating app, you can't always tell from a profile who might be thinking, behind a smile, I hate cars. But if this is exactly the sort of partner--or friend or fling--you're looking for, there is a solution: Join the wildly popular Facebook meme group and leftist community NUMTOTs ("New Urbanist Memes for Transit-Oriented Teens," which isn't really just for teens) and request access to its private spin-off group, NUMTinder. With about 8,000 members living mostly in North America, the United Kingdom, and Australia, NUMTinder is a makeshift dating environment for those who consider liking public transportation to be a core part of their personality, or those for whom a lack of interest in urban planning is a deal breaker. Almost everyone in the group posts at least one selfie with a bike or a subway entrance to demonstrate commitment to the lifestyle, and when a new member introduces herself, it's not uncommon for her to brag about the fact that she doesn't have a driver's license.