Hyderabad– Uber, the global tech-based transportation firm, on Wednesday opened a Centre of Excellence in Hyderabad, its first in Asia and fifth globally.

The Centre of Excellence (CoE) is part of the $50 million investment in Hyderabad announced by the firm last year.

This state-of-the-art centre, with 500 customer care executives, will provide 24×7 assistance to both riders and drivers

UberThe facility will offer services through channels like email, phone and social media to enhance ride experience. Proficient in different languages, the staff will address the grievances of passengers from across the country, the company said.

Amit Jain, President, Uber India, said they already hired about 30 percent employees and started support operations from CoE. The headcount will go up to 500 by the end of 2017.

This is Uber’s first facility in Asia and the fifth globally. It currently has centres of excellence in Phoenix, Chicago, Ireland and Poland.

The company had last year signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of Telangana to commit an investment of $50 million in the state, its biggest investment in India.

The company officials had then said that Uber will set up a facility which will be the biggest outside its headquarters in the United States.

Uber, which has presence in 361 cities in 66 countries, has a market share of 40 percent in India, where it is offering its services in 26 cities.