Toyota employees urged not to drive

Toyota is one of the largest car manufacturers in the world

The Japanese car giant Toyota has taken the unusual step of urging its employees to stop driving to work.

More than 28,000 workers at the company's headquarters in Toyota City, central Japan, have been asked to stop commuting by car because they are causing huge traffic jams.

Toyota spokesman Monika Fujita admitted that the new ruling "may seem like a contradiction", but added that the current situation was causing problems for the local community.

She said that a 2-3-km (1.3-1.9-mile) traffic jam built up every morning in front of the company's offices, according to the French news agency AFP.

The gridlock often took about an hour to clear, she said.

Since the beginning of February, the company has provided a free bus service from nearby train stations.

By July, the number of Toyota employees taking public transport to work had risen to 5,000.