[wenc]

What you're suggesting has a known solution: dynamic (i.e. surge) pricing.

There are many variations: you can do dynamic spot pricing (which is determined in real time, like Uber/Lyft surges), or reserved pricing (which is dynamic but can be locked in ahead of time, like the wholesale day-ahead electricity market which is priced by the hour or hotels/airplane tickets). Or some combination of the above.

You can do this through a phone app.