(Photo courtesy of Uber)

Uber is an app-based ride service.

PHOENIX — Ride-hailing firm Uber plans to formally open a new customer service center in Phoenix that is expected to eventually have several hundred employees.

Gov. Doug Ducey and Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton are set to headline Thursday's opening of the downtown Phoenix office.

Uber says its "Center of Excellence" will employ workers who assist customers and drivers who have issues with the app-based ride service. Full staffing is expected within several years.

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.

In January, Ducey stopped state regulators from citing ride-hailing drivers for violating regulations requiring commercial insurance and licenses. He said the policy wasn't working and was hampering job creation.