Funeral Transportation on the South Shore: A Guide for Families

On the day of a funeral, a car service drives the family so that no one who is grieving has to drive, park or watch the clock: from home to the funeral home or the church, in the procession to the cemetery, and on to the gathering afterward. The funeral home arranges the hearse and leads the procession. The family cars can come from the funeral home or from a car service, booked by the hour so the chauffeur waits at every stop.

This guide covers what to arrange, and when, for a funeral on the South Shore. For how we drive families on the day, see our funeral car service.

What the funeral home provides

Your funeral director takes care of the hearse, sets the times with the church and the cemetery, and organizes the procession. Many funeral homes can also provide a limousine for the immediate family.

Under the Federal Trade Commission's Funeral Rule, a funeral home must give you a price list with each item priced separately, and you can choose only the goods and services you want. So you can compare the funeral home's family car with a car service, or use both when the family needs more seats.

What the funeral home usually doesn't arrange:

• Rides to the wake or visiting hours, often the evening before the funeral.
• Relatives landing at Logan or staying at a hotel.
• Older relatives who live in another town and shouldn't drive that day.
• Getting everyone home after the gathering.

Step 1: List who needs a ride

Start with people, not cars. On a funeral day, the cars usually go to:

• The immediate family, who ride together behind the hearse.
• Older relatives, especially anyone who shouldn't be driving or parking on the day.
• Family arriving from out of town, from the airport or a hotel.
• Anyone who would find driving that day too hard. It is a long, tiring day, and grief makes it longer.

Count the people who need a ride at the same moment, usually on the way to the service. That number decides how many cars you need. The Cadillac Escalade and the Jeep Grand Wagoneer L seat up to seven passengers, the Chevrolet Suburban up to six.

Tell us if someone uses a cane, a walker or a folding wheelchair, or finds a high step difficult. The chauffeur can help them in and out of the car and keep room in the back for the wheelchair.

Step 2: Map the day

A funeral day follows the schedule set by the funeral home. Here is an example for a 10 a.m. funeral in Hingham, with a burial in town and a gathering afterward:

Your times will be different. Three rules make the day work:

• Plan from the family's arrival time, not the service time. The funeral director usually asks the family to arrive well before the service begins. Build the pickup from that time.
• Book the car by the hour. Your chauffeur waits at the church and the cemetery and stays with the family until the last drop-off. See how hourly service works.
• Leave the end of the day open. A gathering can run long. Give us a rough time, then call dispatch when the family is ready to leave.

How the procession works

The funeral director organizes the procession: the order of the cars, the route and, when it's needed, a police escort. The hearse and the family cars usually go first, followed by guests in their own cars.

Procession cars drive slowly and close together, with their headlights on. Some funeral homes hand out small flags or windshield cards so other drivers can see which cars belong to the procession.

Your chauffeur takes the place the funeral director gives the car and follows the car in front all the way to the cemetery, so the family doesn't have to think about the road.

A burial at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne

Veterans and eligible family members can be buried at the Massachusetts National Cemetery, on Connery Avenue in Bourne, on Cape Cod. Funerals there are held in one of the cemetery's committal shelters, and the funeral home schedules the time with the cemetery. Burials take place on weekdays; the VA makes exceptions in a few cases, such as weekend requests for religious reasons.

It is a long drive from the South Shore, down Route 3 and over the Sagamore Bridge:

In summer and on Friday afternoons, traffic at the bridges onto Cape Cod can add a lot of time, so we plan the pickup with room to spare. Ask the funeral director whether the family drives down in a procession or meets the hearse at the cemetery: the answer changes the pickup time.

What to tell us when you book

• The date and the funeral home, with its phone number, so we can confirm the times with them.
• Every address: the family home or hotel, the funeral home, the church, the cemetery and the gathering.
• How many people ride in each car, and anyone who needs help getting in and out.
• Flight numbers for relatives arriving by plane.
• A point person's mobile number. Someone close to the family, but not the closest relative: a cousin, a friend or a neighbor who will keep their phone on.

Questions to ask any car service

• Is the car booked by the hour, and how is extra time billed if the day runs long?
• Will the chauffeur follow the procession and wait at the cemetery?
• Is gratuity included in the quote?
• Who do we call on the day, and is that number answered all day?

Frequently asked questions

Do you provide the hearse?

No. The hearse is arranged by the funeral home. We drive the family and guests in our SUVs, on the funeral home's schedule.

How soon can you arrange cars?

Funerals are often planned within a few days. Call us at (617) 372-5729 (Nour) as soon as the funeral home has set the times. We arrange the cars whenever they are available, and the office answers 24 hours a day.

Can you drive us to the wake the evening before?

Yes. Book it as a separate ride, or keep the car by the hour if the family has more than one stop.

Can relatives flying in be picked up at the airport?

Yes. We pick up at Logan and other New England airports and drive to the house, the hotel or straight to the service. Give us the flight number when you book.