Kent · London · South East · Transport for mourners
Funeral transport for family and mourners
We provide vehicles for the people attending, between home, the service and the wake. Not the hearse or the limousines, which your funeral director arranges, but everyone else who needs to get there and who should not be driving that day.
Crematorium services run to fixed slots, usually half an hour apart, and a late arrival cannot be accommodated. Every timing we set for a funeral is worked backwards from the time your funeral director gives you, with a margin built in.
What we do, and what your funeral director does
It is worth being clear about the division, because families arranging a funeral for the first time are often unsure who to ask for what.
The hearse and limousines
The funeral director provides the hearse and the family limousines that form the cortège. They set the timings and they will tell you what those vehicles cover.
Transport for everyone else
Mourners travelling from home, extended family, friends and colleagues, and anyone who cannot or should not drive on the day.
Service to wake
The leg where people scatter and get lost. One vehicle moving a group from the crematorium or church to the reception keeps everyone together.
Getting people home
Wakes go on longer than expected and people have often had a drink. A booked return means nobody drives who should not.
How the day is usually arranged
Most of the funerals we assist with follow this shape. Your funeral director will give you the fixed times and we plan around them.
| Stage | What we cover | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Before the service | Collecting mourners from home addresses | Several addresses on one run is common and keeps the family together. |
| Arrival | Set-down at the church or crematorium | We arrive with time in hand. Crematorium slots cannot be delayed. |
| Service to wake | The move between venues | The leg most likely to go wrong without a vehicle. Usually a minibus. |
| During the wake | The vehicle waits or returns later | Whichever suits. Wakes rarely end at the time anyone expected. |
| Afterwards | Taking mourners home | Several drops on one run. Nobody needs to drive. |
| Travelling from further away | Station and airport collections | For family coming from elsewhere in the country or abroad. |
Vehicles
Most funeral bookings are one vehicle covering the whole day. Tell us the number of mourners and we will advise rather than upsell.
| Mourners | Vehicle | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 4 | Saloon | Individual family members or a single household. |
| Up to 6 | MPV | A family group, with room for wreaths if needed. |
| Up to 8 | 8-seater | The most common funeral booking. |
| Up to 16 | Minibus | Extended family and friends, or the move to the wake. |
| Up to 49 | Coach | Large funerals, or mourners travelling together from one place. |
How we approach it
Timings come from your funeral director
Crematoria run to fixed slots and services follow one another closely, so arrival times are not flexible. We ask for the times your funeral director has given you and work backwards from them with a proper margin, rather than estimating. If those times change, tell us and we will adjust without fuss.
The day is difficult enough
Nobody in the immediate family should be driving, parking, navigating or counting heads on the day of a funeral. That is the whole reason to arrange transport: it removes a set of small decisions from people who have no capacity for them. We keep our part of it quiet and simple.
One point of contact
Give us one person to deal with, and preferably not the closest relative. A cousin, a friend or a colleague who can confirm addresses, numbers and times means the family are not answering logistical questions in the days before the service. We will deal entirely with whoever you nominate.
Practical details
Our drivers dress appropriately for the day and understand what is expected of them. If anyone attending has mobility needs, tell us at the point of booking and we will confirm what we can provide. If plans change, including at short notice, let us know and we will do what we can.
Funeral transport questions
If anything is unclear, please just call and ask.
Do you provide the hearse?
No. The hearse and the family limousines that form the cortège are arranged by your funeral director. We provide transport for mourners: from home to the service, from the service to the wake, and home afterwards.
Can you collect mourners from several addresses?
Yes, and it is common. One vehicle collecting from several homes on the way to the service keeps the family together and means nobody has to drive or find parking.
How do you handle the timings?
We work backwards from the times your funeral director gives you, with a margin built in. Crematorium services run to fixed slots that cannot be delayed, so we arrive early rather than exactly on time.
Can you take us from the service to the wake?
Yes, and it is the leg we are asked for most often. Moving a group between venues in one vehicle avoids people getting lost or separated between the two.
Will the vehicle wait during the service or the wake?
Either. It can wait throughout, or leave and return at a time you set. Wakes often run longer than expected and the driver will wait rather than pressing you to leave.
Can you take mourners home afterwards?
Yes, with several drops on one run. People have usually had a drink by then and this is the part that matters most, so it is worth arranging when you book the rest.
What if someone has mobility difficulties?
Tell us when you book and we will confirm what we can provide for your date. Please raise it in advance so the right vehicle is allocated.
Can you collect family travelling from further away?
Yes, including station and airport collections for relatives coming from elsewhere in the country or from abroad. These can sit on the same booking.
Who should be our point of contact?
Ideally not the closest family member. A cousin, friend or colleague who can confirm addresses and numbers means the family are not dealing with arrangements in the days beforehand. We will work entirely with whoever you nominate.
What if the date or the arrangements change?
Tell us and we will adjust. Funeral arrangements do change, sometimes at short notice, and we will not make that harder than it needs to be.
Other services
Other transport we provide across Kent.