MOSCOW, September 25 (RIA Novosti) – The UK Co-operative Funeralcare published a survey Thursday revealing that one in five Britons want their final journey to take place in a vehicle that reflects their favorite hobby or pastime, as the traditional black hearse loses prominence.
"We've also conducted funerals using a lorry, motorcycle hearse, tandem [made for two] bicycle, milk float, bus, quad bike, tractor and trailer, ambulance, a converted steam train, a fire engine, and more," reported the funeral planner, noting that horse drawn and bicycle hearses topped the list.
The survey results report titled "Custom Hearses Hit Top Gear" revealed that alternative hearses have already been used in about 40,000 funerals across the UK. This number is based on the 573, 452 funerals that took place across the UK in 2013.
Other unusual and extravagant requests included Rolls Royces, pink Cadillacs and Land-Rover hearses.
According to the survey, more than one in 10 men would have liked to have a mode of transport associated with their professions including men who served in the armed forces, while farmers would prefer a horse-drawn cart.
"We will always try our utmost to accommodate individual requests, no matter how unusual they are, we will do anything our clients want us to do providing it is legal and decent," Sam Kershaw, Operations Director at Co-operative Funeralcare said in a statement posted alongside their survey results.
The cost of funerals is already high even when not customized. The total cost has been put at £7,600 (almost $12,400) and rising by about 7 percent a year according to a 2013 publication by the University of Bath in the UK.
