What does a family car service do on the day?
The family cars exist so that nobody in mourning has to drive, park or find the way. A chauffeur collects each household, waits through the service, follows the procession and brings everyone back.
The immediate family usually rides in the vehicle directly behind the hearse: a spouse or partner, children, parents and siblings. Other relatives and friends follow in their own cars or in additional family cars.
At the front of the line, the lead car usually belongs to the funeral director, sometimes with clergy aboard. In a larger procession a flower car may run ahead of the hearse. Tell us where the funeral home wants our cars in the line, and we follow the director’s plan.
- Pickups: one car can stop at more than one home, or each household can have its own car.
- The service: on an hourly booking the chauffeur stays with the family’s booking until the next leg.
- The procession: our cars take the place the funeral director gives them.
- The cemetery: the car waits through the committal or graveside service.
- The reception: the last leg runs to the home, church hall or restaurant where people gather, and then home.
A sample day, from the first pickup to the ride home
Visitation, sometimes called calling hours, is often held the day or evening before the funeral, at times in two blocks of about two hours each. Some families hold it right before the service instead.
Dignity Memorial advises the immediate family to arrive about 45 minutes before the procession leaves, so their car can be placed near the front. We plan the first pickup back from that time.
| When | What happens | The family car |
|---|---|---|
| The day or evening before | Visitation at the funeral home | Optional: to and from the funeral home |
| About 45 minutes before the procession | Immediate family arrives | Placed near the front of the line |
| The service | Funeral or memorial service | The hourly booking continues |
| The procession | Lead car, hearse, then the family car | Follow the funeral director’s instructions |
| At the cemetery | Committal or graveside service | Waits for the family |
| Afterward | Reception or meal | Drop-off, then home when the family is ready |
Procession etiquette, and the rule inside Houston
Funeral directors commonly instruct procession vehicles to use headlights and hazard flashers; follow the director and any escort officers.
Within the City of Houston, the Code of Ordinances, Sections 24-311 to 24-313, makes it city policy for police to control traffic for funeral processions and, when needed, to lead them. All traffic must yield the right-of-way as the police direct. Driving between the vehicles of an escorted procession while it is moving is unlawful, except at intersections controlled by a traffic signal or an officer.
This is a plain summary of the ordinance, not legal advice. The funeral director usually knows whether an escort is planned, so that is the first person to ask. Our chauffeurs drive in the line as the director and any escort officers direct.
How many family cars will we need?
Count the people who should ride together, then divide by the seats in each car. A traditional funeral limousine seats about six besides the chauffeur.
Many funeral home packages include one family car, with more cars as an add-on, so ask the director what is already arranged before you book anything extra.
| Who rides together | People | Suggested vehicles |
|---|---|---|
| A spouse with one or two adult children | 2 to 3 | One Executive Sedan (3) or Mercedes-Benz S-Class (3) |
| One household of immediate family | 4 to 6 | An Escalade (6) or a Suburban (6); a Lincoln Navigator (5) for five or fewer |
| Two or three households | 7 to 12 | Two SUVs, or one Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (13) |
| Extended family traveling as one group | 13 to 24 | Mini Coach (24), on request |
| A large family or a congregation | 25 to 34 | Coach (34), on request |
| A traditional stretch limousine | Varies | From our partners, on request |
Two Houston cemeteries, for planning the route
Whichever funeral home or cemetery your family has chosen, send us its name and, if you know it, the section where the burial will be. The chauffeur plans the route before the day.
| Place | Address | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Woodlawn Funeral Home, Cemetery & Cremation Garden | 1101 Antoine Dr, Houston, TX 77055 | About 60 acres; listed on the National Register of Historic Places |
| Forest Park Lawndale Funeral Home & Cemetery | 6900 Lawndale St, Houston, TX 77023 | Funeral home and cemetery on one site |
How is a family car priced, and what about gratuity?
Family cars are booked by the hour, with a 3-hour minimum. On our current rates, an Executive Sedan is $280.00 and a Cadillac Escalade is $375.00 for 3 hours, the same for pickups in Downtown, Galleria, the Texas Medical Center, IAH, Hobby, The Woodlands, Katy and Sugar Land. A day longer than 5 hours, or a pickup elsewhere, is quoted by text.
Gratuity for funeral transportation is often already part of the funeral home’s or car company’s bill. Where it is not, 15 to 20 percent of the fare, or at least $20, is a common guideline. Your confirmation shows the final total, so you can check it before the day.
Receipts are emailed, and a company can be invoiced.
Vehicles we can send
Representative vehicle Executive Sedan
Representative vehicle Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Representative vehicle Cadillac Escalade
Representative vehicle Chevrolet Suburban
Representative vehicle Lincoln Navigator
Representative vehicle Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
- Group vehicle
Mini Coach
Up to 24 guests.
Quoted by text
- Group vehicle
Coach
Up to 34 guests.
Quoted by text
Hourly prices are for any pickup in the Houston area, 3-hour minimum. We confirm the exact vehicle in writing.