Imagine being able to book a bus ride like you would a cab. That’s one of a few transit improvements for which Ulster County officials are competing.

“I’m used to it,” James Cole said of the Ulster County Area Transit’s public bus service. “I take UCAT all the time.”

Cole, who suffers from several physical conditions, including arthritis, uses a motorized chair to move about.

He said, including getting to the bus stop, waiting for the bus and rising the bus, a round trip across the city to the grocery store takes about two hours.

“It’d be nice,” he said, “but you got to go with what they can do, with what’s available."

County leaders are trying to slash Cole’s commute time. They want to start providing transport right from peoples’ homes.

“It’d be nice for me anyways,” Cole said of any possible time savers. “That’s one of the nice things about having buses.”

The county is competing with 17 other communities in New York State’s Clean Neighborhoods Challenge.

County Executive Pat Ryan said the top three concepts will receive a $10 million grant to fund the projects for three years.

Currently, the county is using $300,000 in state grant money to develop the on-demand micro transit plan.

The county and transit tech company Via are working on a smartphone app — and a hotline — that would let commuters book rides from virtual transit stops near their homes to bus stops.

Ryan said the app would function similarly to that of a rideshare service like Uber or Lyft.

“You can pull up an app and say, ‘Here’s where I am. Here’s where I want to go,’ and then get directed to a car or a small vehicle, that will help get you into our system and where you need to go,” Ryan said Wednesday during a UCAT bus ride. “To have the [commute] time cut by 75 or 80 percent and to not have to stand at a bus station either at all or for very long, is pretty cool.”

Since the competition is also about energy-smart transportation, all vehicles that provide the on-demand service to bus lines would be electric. County officials will make their pitch to the state this summer.

“It really brings together a lot of our goals in one program,” Ryan said.

If they win the competition, the on-demand booking system could start next year. If they lose, the county might explore other funding options, Ryan said.

Bus rider Joseph Landa, also a home health aide recruiter, said on-demand ride booking might also attract new riders who are trying to drive less.

“They should have more access,” he said, “especially with the high gas prices.”