The start of the school year gets everyone back on track… including Crushes. happn reveals that 85%* of singles consider this time of year ideal for meeting new people. To mark the occasion, the real-life dating app reveals the subway lines and stations in several French cities where singles have the most crushes.

The Subway: A real hotspot for Crushes

The subway might just be the new go-to spot for meeting people. More than one in three singles (35%) has had a crush on someone on the subway. For 38%, a single glance is all it takes for a complete stranger to become a crush. Everyday behaviors also play a role: spontaneously helping a stranger makes 42% of singles fall for someone, ahead of laughing alone at their phone (35%) or living their best life with headphones on (27%).

However, 84% regret not having dared to approach their crush, held back primarily by the fear of being unwelcome (42%), intimidated by not knowing what to say (30%), embarrassed by the crowd getting in the way (18%), or simply because the person got off the train too early. And because a missed connection isn’t necessarily a lost one, a quarter of singles (24%) instinctively open happn to try to find the person who got off too soon.

Lines and Stations: The special Crush

To find your Crush while commuting, you just need to know where hearts race the most. happn reveals the metro lines and stations in Paris, Lyon, Lille, Marseille, Toulouse, and Rennes where singles are most likely to find a Crush.

In Paris, Line 4 stands out as the “line of love” and has the most Crushes, ahead of Lines 7, 9, 8, and 3. As for stations, Opéra tops the list, ahead of Les Halles, Hôtel de Ville, Châtelet, and Havre-Caumartin.

Ranking of Parisian lines and stations where singles have the most Crushes**

Claire Rénier, Director of Communications at happn, says: “Chance encounters are far from a thing of the past. A glance or a smile can be enough to spark a crush, even if you don’t always find the right moment to strike up a conversation. happn is here precisely to give these real-life encounters a second chance and allow two people who have crossed paths to reconnect. ”

*happn study conducted in August 2026 among 1,929 users in France
**happn data from August 2026