An assistant counts the number of students on board before a school ferry sets off from Huangshi town, Leiyang, Hunan province, on March 23. This school boat is believed to be the first of its kind in China. (Source: China Daily / Peng Bin)

A city in Central China's Hunan province where hundreds of students commute by water is seeking to assemble a fleet of "school boats" that will transport students safely at no charge.

The first "school boat" finished the first round trip in Huangshi town, Leiyang city on Sunday, a day before China marks its 17th annual day for primary and middle school safety. That day falls on the last Monday of every March.

The boat docked at a new pier 100 meters from the Huangshi junior high school, the only boarding school in the town.

Each of the 40-plus students on board had to wear a life jacket, something rarely seen on boats in rural areas.

A school-designated safety supervisor helped students get on and off, as there was a half-meter gap between the boat and the pier.

These students' homes are far from school, so they live on campus during the week, going home on Friday and returning on Sunday evenings.

Ouyang Zubin, the school principal, said that the boats students used to take were often overcrowded and unsafe.

"Rafts and fishing boats can only carry six passengers but are often overloaded with a dozen," he said.

Last year, a ferry accident in Shaoyang county, Hunan province, shocked the country. An overloaded ferry sank on Sept 9 and killed 12 people, including nine students aged between 7 and 15.

Investigators found that the boat was authorized to carry only 14 passengers but had 50 on that deadly trip, when it capsized after striking iron cables used by a dredger.

The accident alarmed government and school officials in Leiyang, where some 800 students rely on ferries operating at 17 piers, which pose similar hazards.

Overloading is common in China's rural areas because ship owners and boat captains can only make a profit by taking as many as passengers as possible.

The government of Leiyang is now planning to assemble a fleet of 10 "school boats" by providing subsidies to private ship owners in exchange for a commitment to provide safe, free service.

In the case of the first chartered ferry, Leiyang gave owner Wu Donglin 80,000 yuan ($12,700) and asked him to hire a qualified shipbuilding company in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, to build the ship, which cost 220,000 yuan.

The government has promised annual subsidies of 30,000 yuan for Wu. Maritime and transport authorities will waive landing and inspection fees and give him fuel subsidies, such as school buses get, to compensate for the cost of transporting students free of charge.

In return, Wu promised that he would never take more than 60 people on board, and he said that he would schedule a weekly round trip for students only.

Adult passengers can use the ship at other times, paying 1 yuan or more, depending on the distance.

The local maritime bureau gave one-on-one training to the captain, Li Chunbao, 32, starting last August, even though he had 10 years of experience.

"I was asked to take notes of the locations of submerged rocks, which may pose a danger when the water level falls in the dry season," he said.

After the successful launch of the first chartered boat for Huangshi junior high, the Leiyang city government plans to offer 3 million yuan to encourage private capital to participate in its school ferry plan.

It also plans to repair docking facilities, though no timetable has been finalized.

The school has told all students living across the river to take the chartered ferry, but not all have complied. Some had parental support to take private rafts or unlicensed ferries, Ouyang said. Parents should not take any chances when it comes to safety, he said.