Beginning Tuesday, Uber will raise rates in eight states in an effort to have customers pay the cost of a pilot program to provide drivers with injury protection and income security insurance.

Uber has partnered with One Beacon and Aon to provide drivers with the option of buying injury protection insurance. Coverage applies while drivers are logged in to the app -- whether they are available to pick someone up or they are in the process of doing a trip. The cost to drivers is 3.75 cents-per-mile.

To pay for the pilot program, rates have now been raised by 5 cents-per-mile in Pennsylvania, South Carolina, West Virginia, Delaware, Illinois, Arizona, Oklahoma and Massachusetts. The pilot program only applies to drives in those eight states.

In Harrisburg, the per-mile fee is $1.05. The pilot program will raise the per-mile fee to $1.10.

There are more than 20,000 Uber drivers in Pennsylvania, according to the company. Uber is a ride-hailing service that uses a downloaded app and smartphone GPS to match passengers with nearby drivers.

Gus Fuldner, Uber's head of safety and insurance, said the raise in rates was to remove any financial barriers for drivers that wanted to purchase the insurance.

"We believe drivers should have a low-cost option for protecting themselves and their families from rare and unpredictable accidents that prevent them from working," Fuldner said.

"That's why we're partnering with One Beacon to make this product and pilot it, to allow drivers to access peace of mind for a few cents a mile directly from the app."

Uber's injury protection insurance includes coverage for medical expenses and loss of income as a result of a work-related incident.

There is no deductible or copay for medical expenses as part of the insurance. The insurance also provides for disability income replacement and survivor benefits. The maximum payout for a single collision is $1 million, Fuldner said.

While the cost to the driver is 3.75 cents-per-mile, various fees, taxes and other costs bring the final total to about 5 cents-per-mile -- the exact cost of the rate increases to customers.

"Uber is not making any money off of this," Fuldner said. "We think this is an option drivers should have to protect themselves and their families."