History
A track record of excellence in client service and innovation.
Cambridge Systematics (CS) is an independent, employee-owned firm, recognized throughout the nation as a leader in transportation.
CS was founded in 1972 by four Massachusetts Institute of Technology professors and a colleague who shared an understanding that transportation's greatest challenges call for thoughtful, research-based solutions. To this day, our staff are dedicated to forging strong partnerships and delivering innovative solutions for our clients and their communities.
Honoring the Past › Shaping the Future
Scroll through the timeline below for a glimpse of the key projects, milestones, and events that have happened over the course of five decades at Cambridge Systematics.
1970s
Charting a New Course
When our five founders first open their doors for business in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it’s hard to imagine if they knew what lay ahead, including the opening of two additional offices. The oil crisis and long lines at the pump were followed by three different presidents sworn into office and the onset of deregulation of transportation in the U.S.
1 Office
1 Employee
1972
Cambridge Systematics, Inc. is Founded
Cambridge Systematics (CS) is founded by transportation consultant William Jessiman, who serves as President, along with four MIT Professors—Marvin L. Manheim, Wayne Pecknold, Paul Roberts, and A. Sheffer Lang. Doors open for business on September 27 at 238 Main Street, Cambridge, MA.
1972
CS Starts First Projects
A few of our first projects are for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Auto Ownership and Work Mode research are used to create a disaggregate, behavioral split model used to estimate sensitivity of mode choice to parking rates, road tolls, and other transportation supply
1972
CS Starts First Projects
A few of our first projects are for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Auto Ownership and Work Mode research are used to create a disaggregate, behavioral split model used to estimate sensitivity of mode choice to parking rates, road tolls, and other transportation supply characteristics.
For the U.S. DOT Office of the Secretary, CS analyzes several alternatives in the current trans-Atlantic aviation route structure case before the Civil Aeronautics Board. Several analytical computer programs are developed for this study, including traffic forecasting, demand stimulation, market share relationships, traffic assignment to flights, and revenue/cost summary calculation programs to aid in determining economic impacts of the involved carriers.
CS also conducts a National Transportation Study to inventory and assess the current and planned transportation system as viewed by the states and urban areas.
1973Richard Nixon Swears into Office
1976
Federal Aid Highway Act of 1973 is Signed into Law
1976
Federal Aid Highway Act of 1973 is Signed into Law
The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1973 creates a public transportation account within the Highway Trust Fund and provides funding for and increases the role of local officials and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs).
1974Gerald Ford Swears into Office
1975
Lance Neumann Joins CS
Lance Neumann later serves as President and CEO from 1986 to 2011.
1975
CS Helps Implement the First Disaggregate Demand Modeling System
CS works with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission in the San Francisco Bay Area to implement the first disaggregate demand modeling system in the U.S.
1975
CS Helps Implement the First Disaggregate Demand Modeling System
CS works with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission in the San Francisco Bay Area to implement the first disaggregate demand modeling system in the U.S.
1975
Joint Federal Highway/Transit Planning Regulations Take Effect
1975
Joint Federal Highway/Transit Planning Regulations Take Effect
The Joint Federal Highway/Transit Planning Regulations take effect, requiring the urban transportation planning process to include long-range and shorter-range elements in the long-term transportation plan.
1976
CS opens an additional office in Berkley, CA
1976
Washington DC’s Metrorail Opens
1976
Washington DC’s Metrorail Opens
Washington, DC’s Metrorail opens. This transit system will eventually connect areas of Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
1977
CS Begins International Work
CS develops a national system of disaggregate transportation demand models for the Dutch Ministry of Transportation and Public Works.
1977
CS Begins International Work
CS develops a national system of disaggregate transportation demand models for the Dutch Ministry of Transportation and Public Works.
1977Jimmy Carter Swears into Office
1977
Clean Air Acts are issued
1977
Clean Air Acts are issued
The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977 are issued. In June 1978, a policy document, Memorandum of Understanding, establishes how the DOT and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will assure the integration of transportation and air quality planning.
1977
U.S. DOT Completes First Multimodal Transportation Study
1977
U.S. DOT Completes First Multimodal Transportation Study
The U.S. DOT completes its first multimodal national transportation planning study, National Transportation Trends and Choices (To The Year 2000).
1978
President Carter Signs Surface Transportation Assistance Act
1978
President Carter Signs Surface Transportation Assistance Act
The Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1978 consolidates federal financial assistance programs for highways and public transportation for the first time.
1979
CS Evaluates “Downtown People Mover” System
CS evaluates the efforts of implementing a “Downtown People Mover” System in U.S. cities for the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (now the FTA). The "downtown people mover" is an automated, driverless transit car that most know now as a monorail. The monorail didn’t take off,
1979
CS Evaluates “Downtown People Mover” System
CS evaluates the efforts of implementing a “Downtown People Mover” System in U.S. cities for the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (now the FTA). The "downtown people mover" is an automated, driverless transit car that most know now as a monorail. The monorail didn’t take off, but there is a brief moment in history when it’s the next great thing. In the 1970’s, nearly 70 cities write to the government, expressing interest in building an automated transit system. In the end, only three cities attempt to build it: Detroit, Miami, and Jacksonville.
