A taxi driver says he faces financial ruin as despite working up to 90 hours every week he claims he earns just £100.
Mizanur Khan, 42, now has to rely on his children's support as he does not have a stable income thanks to a serious of charges that chip away at his income.
The dad from Acocks Green, Birmingham, works for a local taxi firm in Kings Heath, but uses his own vehicle.
He said his income has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic and the introduction of a Clean Air Zone in the city, Birmingham Live reports.
Mr Khan has been left with hefty bills and after paying for fuel, insurance and Clean Air Zone charges, he is struggling to pay his mortgage.
He is part of a large group of cabbies urging Birmingham City Council to make taxi drivers exempt from the charge.
The driver, who has three kids aged 18, 21 and 22, said: "Because of Covid there is no business.
"I work seven days a week and I work 12 to 14 hours every day. After taking out my costs I'm not left with anything."
"To be honest, if my son wasn't working I probably would have lost my house.
"There were months where I never even had any wages and my son helped me and paid my bills and paid my mortgage."
He has claimed the council levied charges incorrectly - adding he has struggled to get through to pay them.
He said: "I've been charged twice for the same day. The system is not right.
"They gave me a number and every time you phone that it says we're busy and it gets disconnected.
"For two hours I tried to phone them. I'm struggling hard. I work seven days a week."
According to the Clean Air Zone website, a polluting vehicle driving in the area is only required to pay once a day.
Mr Khan said he has tried to avoid some central areas where he would need to pay, but he claimed some of the signs are not clear enough, so he still ended up being charged.
The council said more than 1,000 drivers had taken advantage of a grant it was offering, but Mr Khan - who also worked during the pandemic and did not accept any help - said the amount of money was not enough for him.
He added: "I stayed out and continuously worked. I took it on the chin. The whole world is suffering so I just put in extra hours than I was used to doing. But I'm struggling bad at the moment."
Mr Khan has called for the council to make taxi drivers exempt from the charges, saying: "We're carrying the public. "Our job is to get our passengers to their destination safely. We should be exempt from the Clean Air Zone."
A spokeswoman for Birmingham City Council said: "The Clean Air Zone will help improve Birmingham’s air quality and the Council recognises that some groups will require more support to make the transition to a clean air city.
"A comprehensive package of temporary and permanent exemptions and £35 million of financial incentives to help individuals and businesses get ready.
"Birmingham City Council licensed taxi drivers can apply for grants of up to £5,000 to help them to upgrade or replace vehicles. And to date over 1,000 drivers have taken advantage of these schemes."
