My Dad got three parking tickets from Chicago this year. For a truck that he hasn't owned in four years. My Dad hasn't been to Chicago in a few years. The truck had never even been to Illinois. Dad disputed the tickets instead of just paying them, because he could prove the truck was in Florida when the tickets were issued. [He owns a trucking company, so he keeps pretty meticulous records, including fuel receipts.] They graciously waived the fines after he spent a few hours arguing the matter and provided the documentation.
At first he thought the tickets were due to a computer error or something...there have been a few cases of people getting multi-million dollar parking tickets in Chicago in the last few years due to 'computer error.' He thought maybe someone just mistyped a VIN. But NOOOOOOO...it turned out to be a scam - run by a few elected gentleman - that have previously gotten into trouble for doing the same thing. They send bogus tickets to out-of-towners, especially commercial vehicles. They know that a certain percentage of people will just think "Well, I was in Chicago...?" and then pay the damn tickets without protest. Easy cash. That, my friends, is "Chicago's way." ;-)
This speaks to why my Dad refuses to come and visit me in Chicago. And why I get to hear him gripe anytime someone mentions Chicago, parking, traffic, cars, scams, etc. etc. I'm hoping a new grandkid will finally get him to visit again.
Sorry. Your story sucks, and I'm sorry that happened to your dad, but I'll take Chicago over San Francisco any day.
San Francisco towed my car, via a third-party contracted by the city. They lost my car for several months, and when they found it, they charged me for the time it spent hidden in the lot. A lesson learned: it is extremely hard to sue a municipality.
Chicago towed my car. My registration was expired, and it was a Friday night, so I was screwed until Monday afternoon when I could get that straightened out. I asked, "is there anything I can pay to get my car tonight?" $50 later, I learned about the loophole that says your car can be towed out of the impound lot; you just can't drive it out. Total win.
People talk about the "corruption" in Chicago as if it was a daily hassle. If you're in politics or commercial real estate, I'm sure it is. But for the rest of us, it's mostly a problem in principle and not in practice, and it's not a problem Chicago has a lock on.
I don't know how old the busses are in Chicago, because I never ride them. Busses don't count. Something's gone wrong if you have to ride one. Where do you live in Chicago that you can't walk to an El stop?