Ducey headlines opening of new Uber center in Phoenix

PHOENIX (AP) -- Ride-hailing firm Uber has opened a new customer service center in Phoenix that is expected to eventually have several hundred employees.

Gov. Doug Ducey and Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton headlined Thursday's opening of the downtown Phoenix office.

Uber senior adviser David Plouffe says the company's "Center of Excellence" already has more than a hundred employees and will have about 300 on staff by the end of the year.

Workers will assist customers and drivers who have issues with the app-based ride service.

Ducey signed a bill overhauling rules for ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft in April. The new law removed regulatory roadblocks to the new and growing services.

Ducey says Uber creates jobs and helps grow the economy, and the state should be helping it succeed, not hindering it.