Who rides in the funeral limo is the family's decision, guided by the funeral director. Usually the spouse, children, parents and siblings ride in the first car behind the hearse, with other relatives following in a second vehicle or their own. Book a funeral limo in Barrie by the hour, from $135–160 for a business sedan, so the car waits through the whole day.
Who rides in the funeral limo, and who does not?
There is no rule, only custom, and customs differ by family, faith and community. In a traditional procession the hearse leads and the family car follows. The immediate family, meaning the spouse or partner, the children, the parents and the brothers and sisters of the person who died, usually ride in that first car or cars. Other relatives and close friends drive themselves, or ride in a second vehicle if the family arranges one.
The funeral director guides the order, tells you how many cars to expect and sets the pace of any procession. Our chauffeur takes the family's instructions on the day and works with the director's staff. The hearse is supplied by the funeral home, not by us.
Who decides, and when should they decide?
The family decides, and the best time is before the day. A short conversation with the funeral director fixes how many people need a seat in the family cars; a quick call among the relatives settles who would rather travel together and who would rather drive. A list of names beside each vehicle removes the awkward moment at the curb.
The most common difficulty is not a quarrel but a surprise: a cousin who was not expected, a grandparent who would like to ride with the grandchildren. Build one empty seat into the plan. If the group turns out larger, the funeral director or dispatch can add a vehicle on a short call, but only if there is time and a car free.
How many cars does a family need?
Count the people who want to ride, not the people who will attend. Then match the group to a vehicle. Planning figures are all-in plus HST with tolls, fuel and gratuity inside; the stretch limousine is a partner vehicle.
| Family group | Vehicle | Seats | Hourly planning range | Minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One to three | Business sedan | 3 | $135–160 | 3 hours |
| Up to five | Business SUV | 5 | $175–205 | 3 hours |
| Up to six | Executive SUV | 6 | $225–265 | 3 hours |
| Seven to fourteen | Sprinter | up to 14 | $475–550 | 3 hours |
| Eight or more, traditional look | Stretch limousine (partner) | 8 or 14 | $400–470 | 4 hours |
For a sedan, four hours comes to $540–640 all-in plus HST. A luxury minivan, with its sliding doors, is priced by the engine on the day.
What does the day look like, hour by hour?
A funeral has a plan but not an exact clock. A sample shape, to be replaced by the director's timings:
- Call time: the chauffeur arrives at the family home early.
- Travel to the funeral home or place of worship, arriving ahead of other guests.
- The service, during which the car waits nearby.
- The procession to the cemetery, led by the hearse and kept in order by the funeral home's team.
- The committal, usually brief, with the car parked close to the family.
- The reception at a hall, restaurant or home.
- The ride home, often the longest wait of the day.
Four to six hours is typical, and an hourly booking absorbs the overruns.
Where does the chauffeur wait during the service?
Close, quiet and out of the way. The chauffeur stays with the vehicle, within sight of the door the family will leave by, and does not join the service or the gathering unless invited to step inside. At a church or funeral home the director's staff usually direct the line of cars, and the chauffeur follows their signals. At a cemetery the car waits where the director places it.
You will not need to look for the car or the driver. If the service runs long, nobody watches a clock: the booking is by the hour and the chauffeur has nowhere else to be. If you need the car brought round early for a relative who tires easily, tell the director's staff or phone dispatch.
What about a parent or spouse who finds the day hard?
Plan for the person who will find it hardest. Choose a vehicle with an easy step: many older passengers prefer the higher seat of an SUV to the low seat of a sedan, though some find the SUV step too high, so ask them. We can supply a wheelchair-accessible vehicle if you book ahead and describe the wheelchair or scooter; phone dispatch as soon as the date is set, because it needs notice.
Walkers and folding chairs fit in every class. Tell us about any need for extra time at the kerb, and ask for anything that would help on the journey, such as a bottle of water in the car or a quiet drive without conversation. It goes on the job notes.
Children and child seats
Young children may ride in the family car, and the seats must be right. Infant, child, toddler and booster seats can be added at booking from $25 each; give us each child's age and weight. Ontario's page on choosing a child car seat explains the types.
A child who is old enough to understand may want to sit next to a parent or grandparent, so plan the seating with that in mind. If a small child is likely to need to leave early, have a second adult ready to take them home in a separate car rather than turning the whole family vehicle around.
Relatives flying in from elsewhere
Funerals bring people from other cities and countries, and a flight is often booked in a hurry. Planning figures one way from Toronto Pearson to downtown Barrie, business sedan, are $380–440 for about 97 km and 60–85 minutes; Billy Bishop is $445–510 for 115 km and 80–110 minutes; Union Station is $420–485 for 114 km and 75–105 minutes. Every airport pickup is flight-tracked.
A Sprinter takes up to fourteen from Pearson in one trip, $1,390–1,600 one way. For relatives who need flights, a hotel or a package, the travel desk works with BookingWorldwide.net.
Do we book the cars, or does the funeral home?
Both are common. Many funeral homes arrange family cars as part of their service, so ask your director before you book anything. Book direct with BarrieLimo.net when the funeral home's cars do not cover everyone, when relatives arrive from the airport, when you want an extra vehicle for out-of-town guests or when you want one chauffeur for the day.
Whoever books, put one family member's mobile number on the booking and give dispatch the funeral director's contact as a second name. The Bereavement Authority of Ontario is the provincial regulator of funeral providers, and its site explains what the funeral home must tell you.
What if the funeral is in winter?
Barrie sits in Ontario's snowbelt: lake-effect squalls off Georgian Bay can slow or close Highway 400 between Barrie and Highway 89 from November to March, and a rural cemetery lane may not have been ploughed. A four-wheel-drive business SUV or executive SUV is the safe choice, and every vehicle runs on winter tires from November to April.
Check Ontario 511 and the Environment Canada forecast the evening before and again in the morning. If a squall is forecast, dispatch will suggest an earlier call time. A service that begins fifteen minutes late is easier on the family than a car stuck in traffic.
Funerals outside Barrie
Services are held across Simcoe County and Muskoka, and the family car goes where the service is. Planning figures from downtown Barrie, business sedan, one way:
| Destination | Distance and time | Planning range |
|---|---|---|
| Springwater and Midhurst | 9 km, 10–15 min | $130–150 |
| Innisfil | 15 km, 15–25 min | $150–170 |
| Angus and CFB Borden | 20 km, 20–30 min | $165–190 |
| Orillia | 38 km, 30–35 min | $215–245 |
| Alliston | 45 km, 40–50 min | $240–275 |
| Gravenhurst | 70 km, 45–55 min | $310–355 |
For a service that is a long way from home, an hourly booking is usually better than a one-way fare, because the chauffeur waits and brings the family back. See our cottage country car service for Muskoka.
After the service: the reception and the ride home
Receptions follow the cemetery, at a hall, a restaurant or the family house. A Sprinter can shuttle guests who do not want to drive. Alcohol is not allowed in our vehicles, including on the way to or from a reception, so a drink at the gathering is a good reason to keep the booking running for the ride home.
Plan the end of the day. The immediate family often wants to leave before the last guest, and an hourly car can leave when they do. Relatives flying out the next morning can be collected from a hotel or the house.
Memorials, celebrations of life and scattering ashes
Not every farewell is a funeral. A celebration of life at a waterfront venue, a memorial at a cottage or a scattering of ashes on a lake all need a reliable ride and a driver who stays out of the way. Barrie's waterfront is a common choice for a gathering, and Muskoka for a cottage memorial.
Tell us where you are going and what you will carry: an urn, flowers, framed photographs, folding chairs. We will match the vehicle to the load. For a memorial that is some weeks away, book as early as you can; there is no urgency about the date, but a free car is easier to find for a Saturday in June.
Mistakes families make when booking funeral cars
- Booking for the service time instead of the call time. The chauffeur must be at the house well before the service.
- Leaving the seating plan to the morning. Decide before the day who rides with whom.
- Forgetting the ride home. The end of the day matters as much as the start.
- Not mentioning mobility needs. An accessible vehicle needs notice.
- Booking too few hours. A funeral rarely ends when the cemetery does.
What privacy can a family expect?
Privacy on the day comes down to three habits: the chauffeur asks nothing about the person who has died, takes no photographs of the cortege and keeps the family's plans to themselves. Dispatch uses the booking details for the trip and nothing else.
The cars are black, unbranded and cleaned before each booking, and the chauffeur leaves the silences alone. If you would like a particular route, such as past a family home or a favourite place, say so at booking, and we will plan for it where the road and the funeral director's schedule allow.
Short notice, changes and cancellation
Funeral dates are usually fixed within days, so book on the booking page the moment the funeral director confirms the times. Cancellation follows the sitewide schedule, counted back from the scheduled pickup: free beyond 72 hours; 10 % at 72 hours or less; 50 % at 48 hours or less; 100 % at 24 hours or less or on a no-show.
If the service time changes, phone dispatch as early as you can. A changed time is easy to absorb. Our medical appointments page covers the quieter journeys that often follow a loss, and our guide to senior transportation in Barrie helps with the weeks after.
How to book the family cars direct
Open the booking page, choose hourly, enter the family home as the pickup and the hours as the call time to the end of the reception, and add each stop in the notes. The fare is fixed and all-in, and the engine displays it, with HST on a separate line, before you confirm anything. A coordinator prices a large programme with several vehicles in writing.
If you would prefer a conversation to a form, the number in the page header reaches dispatch at any hour.
