Tribute to Jeff Bruggeman

I’ve been given the incredible honor and the incredible challenge of saying a few words about the remarkable 42-year career of Jeffrey Mark Bruggeman.

Jeff was a pioneer in the travel forecasting industry. He was brilliant, funny, nice, and extremely ethical. Part of his brilliance was that he was pragmatic but very comfortable with theory. This made him sought after by many clients. 

His career spanned huge changes in the industry, in hardware terms from mainframes to personal computers, in modeling terms from the original 4-step algorithms to user benefits to activity-based models. He helped shape many of the major transportation systems and agencies throughout the country, including Washington DC, Denver, Houston, Orlando and Miami. Working on these projects, he began the step-by-step analysis of forecasts of different alternatives. Remember before this, comparisons of alternatives were mostly based on aggregate ridership forecasts. By looking at the details, Jeff helped make models relevant to decision-makers and the public discourse. Later on in his career, he assisted the Federal Transit Administration in developing its approach to estimate user benefits, and in identifying the unexpected mode choice effects of large constants, cliffs, and multiple layers of factors. 

His devotion to his work and clients was extraordinary. He frequently worked weekends to resolve major challenges. He talked often with colleagues both within and outside his firm. He always wanted to ensure that he had the best solution to a client’s issue or challenge. 

You wanted to talk to Jeff, because he was the funniest person in the industry. Because he had worked on so many landmark projects he knew the funniest story of each transit system and agency. They left you in stitches, and what made them hysterical is that you knew they were true. If you were fortunate to have dinner with Jeff, you spent most of the time laughing. 

And you also wanted to talk to Jeff because he was nice, which made him one of the best mentors anyone could ask for. Jeff’s mentorship of junior staff was well-known. He coached you from the sidelines rather than taking the center stage. He would forgo raises so his staff could get them instead. This was how Jeff mentored two generations of travel forecasters. 

I would be remiss if I did not mention Jeff’s strongest trait: he was an extremely ethical forecaster - extremely ethical. He strongly believed in developing the best possible project while following the highest professional standards of conduct. Jeff was a big proponent of public transportation. He was also absolutely honest about where it works and where it isn’t the best option. 

Brilliant…funny…nice…and the highest ethical standards. Those were the pillars of Jeff’s incredible 42-year career. It was one heck of a career. Rest in peace, Jeff. 

Thank you