A taxi driver has been left battered and terrified after a man and a woman brutally attacked him before stealing his cab and trying to run him over in Melbourne's north-east overnight.

Hamid, a 30-year-old father of two, picked the couple up on Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, about 1.20am on Sunday who directed him to Gotha Street in Heidelberg Heights.

Detective Senior Constable Brendan Riddell said the couple initially told Hamid they would get money from inside a block of flats after he stopped on Bell Street, Heidelberg.

"But when he asked for the fare, they became aggressive and demanded he pull his wallet out," Detective Senior Constable Riddell said.

Hamid said it was primarily the man who became very aggressive and started to punch him in the face and head.