Duffy's does U-turn on driver accused of propositioning rider

A Duffy's Taxi driver has been pulled off the job again over allegations he propositioned a passenger for sex.

The company has admitted theyincorrectly toldmedia that the driverhad been cleared of wrongdoing, but that wasn't the case.

On Monday afternoon, aspokesperson from Duffy'sblamed the slip-up on poor communication between the company and Taxicab Board, which regulates the industry.

"Due to a miscommunication between Duffy's Taxi and the Taxicab Board, we erroneously informed you that the [Taxicab Board] had concluded their investigation," the Duffy's spokesperson said.

"The [Taxicab Board]is continuing their investigation and the driver under investigation has had his suspension reinstated."

Earlier in the day,Duffy's general manager Ram Valluru provided CBC News with a statementsaying "The[Taxicab Board's]investigation into thisincident has found no wrongdoing and therefore the driver's suspension has been lifted."

But when CBC News spoke with the Taxicab Board, they saidthat the investigation is "active and ongoing" andValluru's statement wasinaccurate.

"If our investigation is active and ongoing, there's no conclusion right now, so it's inaccurate to say that there is no wrongdoing," a spokesperson with the Taxicab Board said, adding she doesn't know where Duffy's received its information. "I would like to know myself where they got that from."

'Make some extra money'

Earlier this month, Patricia Nosaltold CBC News she was alarmedwhen a male Duffy's driver asked her if she wanted "to make some extra money."

• Woman says 'very nice' cab driver propositioned her on frightening ride home

She caught a cab at about3:30 a.m. in downtown Winnipeg on Nov. 6 after a night out with friends and asked the driver to take her home tothe West End.

Nosalsaid after rejecting the proposition, which she was convinced was an offer of money for sex, she told the driver to take her home. But when she arrived, a second Duffy's cab was parked outside her home,Nosalsaid.

The passenger from that vehicle was standing outside and asked her the same question, she said: "He said, 'I hear you would like to make some money?'"

Nosalwas shaken by the experience and reported the incident to police.

Taxi board investigation

A Duffy's spokesperson initially told Nosal in a statement that both drivers involved in her case maintained it was all a misunderstanding.

"What they've told me is that the driver who was waiting at your destination had a family emergency that required him to return home and could not complete the trip he was currently on. That driver called the driver of the taxi you were in and asked if they could meet at the end of his current fare to exchange the passenger," says the statement from Duffy's to Nosal,madein early November.

On Nov. 8,Vallurutold CBC News the two drivers involved in Nosal's case weresuspended pending a review by the Taxicab Board.A Duffy's spokesperson said Monday the company passed the investigation over to Taxicab Board officials, who determined Nosal's driver did nothing wrong, although later Monday the Taxicab Board said that's not the case.

• Another woman claims Duffy's Taxi driver propositioned her for sex

Randy Williams, chair of the board, previously said there are more than 2,000 cab drivers in the city.

As of November, Williams said the board knows ofat least 270 complaints made this year alone that range from accusations of drivers speeding to items forgotten in cabs and sexual assault.

• 'Can we stop everybody? We're going to try': Taxicab Board chair responds to women's safety concerns in cabs