Auto drivers highlight key reasons for decline of Mangaluru city’s nightlife


Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Jun 9: Auto-rickshaw drivers and owners in Mangaluru have said that a thriving nightlife could not only enhance the city’s growth but also offer better livelihood opportunities, especially for the working class.

At present, over 7,500 auto rickshaws operate within the city limits, along with more than 3,500 battery-operated rickshaws. Around 14,000 drivers work across day and night shifts from 241 designated auto stands.

Despite these numbers, many drivers find it increasingly difficult to earn a decent living. They believe that the revival of nightlife would offer additional income, particularly from night fares, which are usually one-and-a-half times higher than day fares.

However, drivers pointed out that not everyone is willing or able to work night shifts due to safety concerns.

Lokesh Shetty, president of the Dakshina Kannada District Auto Rickshaw Drivers’ Struggle Committee, said, “If nightlife is encouraged, auto rickshaw drivers will benefit. However, night safety is crucial. Assaults, robberies and other crimes are a concern. Police and authorities must ensure the protection of drivers working at night.”

He further said that cities like Bengaluru and Mumbai have thriving nightlife that boosts tourism, supports pubs, dance bars, and other activities, generating employment and revenue for the local economy.

“Instead of imposing strict curbs, the district administration should ease some norms to boost nightlife, which would benefit the city and the livelihoods of many,” he said.

Bharath Kumar, president of the Dakshina Kannada District Auto Rickshaw Owners' Association, said that currently, most rickshaw drivers work from morning till around 8 pm. Only about 2,000–3,000 drivers operate during the night shift, mainly catering to passengers arriving or departing by train.

"There is hardly any real nightlife here. Without it, drivers struggle to earn enough to improve their lives," he said.

He recalled that former Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner Bharat Lal Meena had once envisioned the concept of ‘Greater Mangaluru’, but successive administrations did not push it forward.

"Even with Smart City projects, there has been little focus on attracting tourists. Auto drivers mainly depend on local passengers. Without boosting nightlife, there will be no real change," said an auto driver, Ramu.

Mangaluru currently has a total of 12,000 auto rickshaws operating across the city. Out of these, 3,500 are battery-operated, reflecting a gradual shift towards eco-friendly transport options. However, the number of designated auto rickshaw stands has decreased significantly—from 411 previously to just 241 now. This reduction poses challenges for both drivers and commuters in terms of accessibility and organization.

Several factors have contributed to the noticeable decline in Mangaluru’s nightlife. Firstly, there has been a lack of proper development of tourist spots, which could otherwise attract visitors after dark. Secondly, limited permissions granted to pubs and dance bars restrict evening entertainment options. Additionally, beach tourism activities are mandated to shut down by 9 pm, further curtailing night-time engagement. The absence of late-night leisure activities and the overall low encouragement for entertainment and cultural events have also added to the subdued nightlife atmosphere in the city.

 

 

 

  

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Comment on this article

  • Rudolf Rodrigues, Mumbai-Mangalauru

    Mon, Jun 09 2025

    For a small laid back city like this, this many autos are too much; secondly due to regular communal disharmony & flare ups, moral policing, women's safety issues and other negatives there would not be much demand for nightlife activities? BTW auto fares are much higher than in metro city's like Mumbai!

    DisAgree [1] Agree [19] Reply Report Abuse

  • Rudolf Rodrigues, Mumbai-Mangalauru

    Mon, Jun 09 2025

    For a small laid back city like this, this many autos are too much; secondly due to regular communal disharmony & flare ups, moral policing, women's safety issues and other negatives there would not be much demand for nightlife activities? BTW auto fares are much higher than in metro city's like Mumbai!

    DisAgree [1] Agree [8] Reply Report Abuse

  • AutoRaja, Mangalore

    Mon, Jun 09 2025

    Mangalore has way too many autos for the current population count. 11000+ is a big number. You see many of these autos travelling empty within the city. They do not follow traffic rules, are brash and rowdy and cause inconvenience to other motorists majority of the time. And people demanding night clubs, dance bars and pubs to be allowed to operate late night must understand the consequences. This will increase illegal activities and crime. The police cannot be everywhere, everytime and provide protection to auto drivers as well as these establishments. And it's selfish to ask people to get into habits just because you are not making money. If your current profession is not paying you enough, go find another one, like everybody else. Nobody is tying you to your autos.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [23] Reply Report Abuse

  • Harold Dcunha, Mangalore, India

    Mon, Jun 09 2025

    There is very less unaccounted money in Mangalore. Income from agriculture, fish & animal husbandry, small time traders are limited as they struggle all day. They will not spend money in evening& night leisure. The present generation families, opt to go out at night is dramatically come down due to safety issues. All are paying the price for encouraging goonda culture both religious, political supported entities. Now, let's all enjoy the benefit of it.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [17] Reply Report Abuse

  • N_shakthinagara, Mangalore

    Mon, Jun 09 2025

    Nightlife is not dependent on just party goers and tourists. Local populace also play a important role. The main reason as per my analysis is that a lot of middle class people are dependent on public transport for commute whether daytime or night time. Before covid, city busses used to have strict timetable and used to run even until late night 10pm. A lot of shops and showrooms used to close late because their employees , mainly ladies, did not need worry about missing their last bus from the city. Similarly college students used to hang out till late evening post college before catching the bus to their homes. People working outside city were also willing to commute to the city after their work in the evening to make a quick purchase and still not worry about facing difficulty in returning back by bus. Post covid, although everything has returned back to normal, the city buses have simply held on to their covid time time-table because they will get most passengers during peak time and not so much during non-peak time. They concentrate on their profit making alone fully ignoring how they are indirectly affecting the entire ecosystem negatively. I dont know why there are no strict rules on having bus timings that are convinient to the people. Even early morning busses start late as per the bus operators convinience. This was not the case before covid, when all the buses used to start early and run till late night. As someone who doesnt drive and dependent on city bus for my commute- i simply dont feel like leaving my home in the evening. Because then i will have to worry about missing the bus back home. Nobody thinks about how college students whos parents dont own a vehicle will reach their college or tution class for early morning classes. Or return after late evening special classes. My cousin sister stays in a paying guest in the city away from home, even though their house is just 15 kms from city- just because there are no early morning busses or late evening busses. And they cannot afford to have their own vehicle. Or be dependent on autos on a daily basis. What about people who want to visit a doctor for checkup, after they return back from their work? Or a quick shopping? Or a temple. Not everyone can put their money for auto rikshaw everytime they want to move out of their houses post evening time. Not to mention the one-and-half prices that the auto people charge in the nighttime( and early mornings) Fix the public transport timings first and we may hopefully revive the nightlife. And more than that, will help to eliminate the hardships faced by hundreds of middle and poor class mangaloreans who dont own their own vehicle.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [17] Reply Report Abuse


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