Ralph Smith ordered an 'ad-hoc self-driving auto-pod.'

  Robotically assembled for his immediate needs, it drove itself to his residence.

  He entered it:

  "Where to Mr. Smith?" asked the vehicle's AI.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  "Seattle, Washington."

  "That'll take 3 hours by transitioning into a hyperloop based on current network congestion."

  "But I need to get there in about 60 minutes!"

  "For 1-hour priority travel, please enter a starting bid of 1,000 Unified Earth Credits and your max bid."

  "Okay done … Come on, come on, hurry people, bid!"

  "Congratulations, Mr. Smith, you've won! You'll arrive at your destination in one hour for 40,000 UEC."