How do you know what your community ne3eds and wants in terms of public transit? You may survey your current riders, but that provides an incomplete picture. Successful transportation planning stems from building a group of stakeholders who reflect the make-up of the community, and who represent those who need or choose to use rural public and intercity transportation for themselves or for their client groups. Rural and human service transportation providers are in a unique position to take a lead role in gathering an inclusive and effective group of people to provide needed input into the development of a plan that will truly address the needs of the community. Some seats at the table are easy to fill by simply inviting those who hold professional roles that affect transportation planning. However, seats intended to represent riders, such as people with disabilities and older adults, can be more of a challenge to fill. This training will focus on promising outreach strategies from across the country designed to bring the voice of your community and particularly people with disabilities and older adults into the transportation process. It will provide you with tools to get people involved and engaged. It will provide you with the right questions to ask to get the answers that will help you improve your services and make sure you are meeting the needs of not only those who currently use your transit system but non-riders as well. These proven strategies will help planning professionals, public officials, program managers with clients who require transportation and citizens make informed choices about accessible transportation and help you to learn how to better meet the needs of your community.