Drivers paid in seconds. No platform in the middle.
Open-source ride-sharing that settles on a public chain: riders and drivers sign on their own devices, and no operator ever holds the money. Alpha, with a public testnet you can try right now.
Ride receipt
testnet, example fare
Settles in about 1 second. Keys never leave the device.
Clutch in 15 seconds
A ride request, an offer, an acceptance and a payment. Each step is a transaction on the Clutch chain.
15 seconds, with music.
What is Clutch?
- What it is
- Clutch Protocol is an open-source ride-sharing blockchain. Passengers and drivers send ride requests, offers and payments as transactions on its own chain,
clutch-node. - How apps use it
clutch-hubhas the Hub API, a JavaScript SDK that signs on the user's device, and a reference app for passengers and drivers.clutch-explorershows the blocks and transactions.- Money and servers
- Rides are paid in CLT, a token fully backed by USDT, and
clutch-treasurygives CLT for USDT and pays USDT back.clutch-deployruns the public testnet and the mainnet, which has been live since 2026-09-19 (mainnet deposits are not open yet).
Try the network
Use the public stage testnet — no install required
Quick start
- Open app-stage.clutchprotocol.io
- Choose passenger or driver and generate a wallet
- Open the menu and choose Wallet, then the Top up tab, then send Nile testnet USDT to the address it shows — the treasury mints the matching CLT to your wallet
- As passenger: request a ride on the map. As driver: view requests and submit an offer
Testnet only — not production. Wallets and keys are for experimentation.
Stage endpoints
- Demo app: app-stage.clutchprotocol.io
- Hub API: api-stage.clutchprotocol.io
- Docs: Environments guide
- SDK: clutch-hub-sdk-js on npm
- App rewards: Earn CLT as an app builder
What exists today
Built for riders, drivers, and developers — alpha quality
CLT economics
CLT is a micro-dollar: 1 USD = 1,000,000 CLT, fully reserved. Drivers keep most of each fare, referrers earn up to 4% (default 2%+2%) on RidePay, and validators are paid a flat $0.001 fee per transaction rather than a block reward.
On-chain payments
Passengers pay drivers in CLT via RidePay transactions. Partial payments are supported until the fare is covered.
Transparent and secure
Private keys stay on the client. Every ride step is a signed transaction recorded on-chain and auditable.
Developer tools
clutch-hub-sdk-js on npm, GraphQL Hub API, WebSocket subscriptions, and docs at docs.clutchprotocol.io. Build apps on the network and earn CLT via on-chain referrer fees when users complete rides on your Hub deployment.
Multi-node testnet
Aura consensus with multiple validator nodes on stage. Run the full stack locally with clutch-deploy.
Stack
Open-source components you can run, read, and contribute to
Clutch Node
Blockchain core — Aura consensus, custom RLP transactions, WebSocket JSON-RPC. Rust.
Clutch Hub SDK
JavaScript/TypeScript SDK for signing, queries, and subscriptions. Published on npm.
Clutch Explorer
Block indexer, REST API, and web UI for blocks, transactions, and accounts.
CLT economics
Implemented on-chain in clutch-node (alpha)
Move the fare. See who gets what.
CLT is an integer micro-dollar — 1 USD = 1,000,000 CLT — so a $5.00 fare is 5,000,000 CLT. One RidePay, both referrers.
Referrer fees apply per RidePay installment, in basis points with floor rounding, and the driver's share is the exact remainder — the three always sum to the fare. Validators are not paid from fares at all: every non-exempt transaction pays a flat 1,000 CLT ($0.001) to the block author. There are no block rewards, because minting unbacked CLT to pay validators would break the 1:1 reserve. Details at docs.clutchprotocol.io.
For app developers
Deploy your own app with the SDK and Hub API, set your wallet as the ride referrer in Hub config, and earn up to 4% CLT per RidePay (default 2% request + 2% offer) when passengers pay drivers on your deployment. No separate grants — rewards come from real ride activity on-chain.
App developer incentivesRoadmap
Where the protocol is today and what is planned
Public stage testnet
Multi-node Aura testnet, GraphQL Hub API, SDK, demo app, and block explorer running on stage.
Fully-reserved CLT
Deposit USDT on Tron to mint CLT, burn CLT to redeem it back. Every CLT in circulation is backed 1:1 by off-chain reserve, and the chain pre-mints nothing at genesis.
Mainnet
Hardened validator set, audited crypto, and production economics. No fixed date — see the docs FAQ for status.
Status is alpha and subject to change. See the FAQ in the docs for what is and is not shipped.
FAQ
Quick answers — more in the documentation
Is Clutch a real, running blockchain?
Yes — an alpha public testnet with multiple Aura validator nodes. It is for experimentation; APIs may change. There is no mainnet yet.
Why a custom chain instead of Ethereum or an L2?
Ride operations are first-class transaction types (request, offer, accept, pay, cancel) rather than generic smart-contract calls. This keeps the app surface simple but trades off EVM ecosystem composability.
How do drivers get paid?
Drivers receive CLT via RidePay transactions. Referrers earn up to 4% (default 2% request + 2% offer) per payment installment and the driver gets the exact remainder. Validators take no share of a fare — they are paid a flat $0.001 fee on every non-exempt transaction, credited to whoever authored the block.
Are private keys safe?
Keys never leave the client. The SDK signs transactions locally (secp256k1, Keccak-256) and only submits signed RLP hex to the Hub API. The one server-side signer is the treasury's mint authority, which signs the Mint crediting a USDT deposit it has already verified on Tron — it can create CLT against a deposit and nothing else.
Can I build an app and earn CLT?
Yes. Run your own Hub API with your wallet as the ride referrer, and you earn referrer fees on each RidePay when users complete rides on your deployment. No separate grants program.
More questions? Read the full FAQ or the introduction.
Community
Open source — issues, discussions, and pull requests
Source code
Eight public project repos — node, Hub API, SDK, demo app, explorer, deploy, docs, and this website.
View on GitHubDiscussions
Ask questions, share ideas, and connect with other developers on GitHub.
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