How Via and Kingbee Are Redefining the "Company Car"

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the traditional corporate playbook, the “company car” was a capital expenditure—a depreciating asset that sat on the balance sheet, covered by corporate insurance, and maintained by a fleet manager.

But a new model emerging in the paratransit sector suggests that the era of the corporate-owned asset is ending. In its place is a sophisticated form of liability arbitrage.

Take the current recruitment drive for Via (operating as “Drive with Via”) in the D.C. metro area. To the casual observer, it looks like a standard independent contractor gig: $26 an hour to provide essential paratransit services. But the fine print reveals a complex financial architecture involving Kingbee Rentals, LLC.

The Liability Arbitrage: How Via and Kingbee Are Redefining the "Company Car" — The Liability Arbitrage: How Via and Kingbee Are Redefining the “Company Car”

It is a case study in how modern platforms are shifting the “common headaches” of business ownership—insurance, indemnity, and asset depreciation—down the food chain to the individual worker.

The “Asset-Light” Illusion

For Via, the math is elegant. By requiring drivers to rent specialized wheelchair-accessible vans from Kingbee, Via maintains a “work-ready” fleet without the “work-ready” liability.

The headache of ownership doesn’t disappear; it just changes zip codes. Under the Kingbee Rental Agreement reviewed for this story, the driver—not the platform, and not the fleet owner—becomes the primary shock absorber for almost every conceivable risk.

Headache #1: The Insurance Gap

The most significant friction point is the insurance mandate. Kingbee requires the renter to “procure and maintain” private automobile liability insurance.

For a business journalist, this is a red flag. Most personal auto policies explicitly exclude commercial use, especially for paratransit. By pushing this requirement onto the driver, the companies create a “coverage gray zone.” If an accident occurs, the driver may find themselves caught between a personal insurer’s denial and a rental agreement’s demand for full indemnity.

Headache #2: The “Regardless of Fault” Trap

In the world of corporate fleet management, “Loss of Use” and “Diminished Value” are standard accounting terms. In the Kingbee agreement, they are potential financial ruin for a driver.

The contract holds the renter responsible for damage “regardless of fault.” This includes not just the repair bill, but the revenue Kingbee would have made while the van was in the shop, plus the loss in the van’s resale value. For a driver earning $26 an hour, a single fender-bender could result in a “bill-back” that wipes out months of earnings.

Headache #3: The Automated Collection

Perhaps the sharpest edge of this model is the payment capture. The agreement authorizes Via to deduct rental fees directly from weekly earnings. If those earnings fall short—due to illness, low volume, or vehicle downtime—Kingbee holds a “Credit Card Authorization Form” (Schedule B) to hit the driver’s personal bank account directly.

This is the ultimate “common headache”: the worker isn’t just providing labor; they are providing a guaranteed revenue stream for the fleet owner, backed by their own personal credit.

The Regulatory Collision Course

This “Drive with Via” setup is now heading toward a collision with local regulators. In Washington, D.C., compulsory insurance laws generally expect the vehicle owner to provide primary liability. By attempting to contract around these norms, Via and Kingbee are testing the limits of “freedom of contract.”

As one transportation lawyer noted, “You can’t just call a dog a cat and expect it to meow. If you control the vehicle, the schedule, and the pay, at some point, the law stops seeing a ‘renter’ and starts seeing an employee with a very bad deal.”

The Bottom Line

The trend is clear: the modern corporation is no longer a collection of assets; it is a collection of contracts designed to harvest profit while exporting risk.

For the drivers in the DMV, the “Drive with Via” opportunity comes with a hidden cost of entry: becoming a one-person insurance company and fleet manager. In the new economy, the “company car” isn’t a perk—it’s a liability you pay to carry.