Mobility patterns and transport integration of Ukrainian refugee women in Gdynia, Poland: A profile-based analysis

Urban mobility plays an important role in shaping how displaced people access opportunities, services, and social connections in their new environment. As women represent most refugees displaced from Ukraine (around 70%), a gender-sensitive understanding of everyday mobility becomes especially important. This study examines the travel practices of Ukrainian refugee women in Gdynia (Poland), exploring how they navigate the urban transport system and what shapes their mobility patterns. Emphasis is placed on public transport knowledge and the relevant barriers these women perceive in their daily movement. Building on this focus, a Ukrainian-language survey was conducted in Gdynia between September 2024 and January 2025 (n = 95). Mobility behaviour was analyzed using a profile-based framework. Daily trip frequencies by mode (car, public transport, walking/cycling) were used to segment respondents via k-means clustering, resulting in three distinct mobility profiles. Exploratory factor analysis was applied to Likert-type items to derive two perception factors: perceived knowledge of public transport and public transport barriers. Finally, a multinomial logit model was estimated to examine how socio-demographic characteristics, length of stay, mode of arrival, employment background, pre-war residential context in Ukraine, and public transport perception factors are associated with mobility profile membership. Three profiles were identified, highlighting substantial heterogeneity in women’s mobility: (a) Mixed-Mode Users, (b) Active & Public Transport Users, and (c) Public Transport - Reliant Users. Public transport perceptions were also associated with mobility patterns, as higher perceived public transport knowledge was linked to more flexible, multimodal travel behaviour. Only 17.9% of respondents showed a fully flexible multimodal travel pattern, highlighting that mobility adaptation remains limited for most refugee women in the host city. Measures such as multilingual information, navigation and ticketing guidance, and targeted barrier reduction are expected to facilitate mobility adaptation and could support refugee women’s participation in everyday urban life.