The eastern German city of Leipzig began a four-day offer of free public transportation to drivers Tuesday in a bid to wean them off their cars for good, transport authorities said.

Citing high petrol (gasoline) prices, snarled traffic and greenhouse gas emissions as deterrents to taking cars to work, local bus, rail and tram service providers banded together to offer what they called a better option to commuters.

"Because we can provide a true alternative, we are telling drivers to leave their cars at home and get on public transport," Ulf Middelberg of the Leipzig Transport Service said.

"Commuters who use us regularly have already made the right decision. Now we would like to invite drivers to use us for four days after Easter at no cost and without stress."

During the promotion called "Down with the Petrol Price Insanity -- Time to Switch," drivers and their family members can present a car registration instead of a bus or rail ticket.

Leipzig, a city of about 500,000 about 150 kilometres (90 miles) southwest of Berlin, is the first German city to make the offer.

German petrol prices hit a record high last week. A litre of premium petrol currently costs about 1.70 euros (about $8.50 per gallon) in Germany.