Dilawar Shah Gardezi was speaking on his mobile to his family in Pakistan when a woman aged in her 30s struck the taxi about 4.55am on Saturday at the corner of Lorne Street and Sydney Road in Fawkner, pushing the cab across the intersection and into a house under construction.

Mr Gardezi, 34, died in his taxi on the edge of Lorne Street where he lived.

His friends believe he would have been finishing his shift at the time of the crash and said he was an experienced and cautious driver who would have been using his mobile hands-free.

He was due to go to Pakistan next year to marry.

Leading Senior Constable Adam West said the woman's car was travelling southbound on Sydney Road when it hit the taxi near the Fawkner cemetery. Mr Gardezi was making a right-hand turn into the street when his car was hit.

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"The driver of the car, believed to be a woman in her 30s, suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital," he said.

The woman from Oakleigh South is being treated at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Police are searching for a possible witness to the early morning crash who left the scene before emergency services personnel arrived.

Major Collision Investigation Unit Detective Sergeant Andrew Laurence said the man had spoken to the surviving driver before leaving the area.

"Hopefully the male we believe spoke to the lady at the scene will contact us," he said.

The fatal crash brings this year's road toll to 158. The 2015 road toll was 139.