CHICAGO (CBS) — If you’re looking for work, there may be an opportunity Monday for you to become a bus driver.

As WBBM Newsradio’s Dave Mitchell reports, it is the first of several job fairs, and this one will be held at Chicago State University from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s Dave Mitchell reports

The Chicago Transit Authority says the purpose of the event is to find as many as 400 part-time bus operators to drive shuttle buses along the Red Line during the reconstruction of the Dan Ryan branch of the line, slated to start next spring.

The CTA says once hired, the new bus drivers will stay on, even after the track renewal project ends.

At the job fair, it is expected that officials will discuss the qualifications a would-be bus driver would need.
The shuttles will operate as the Red Line closes below the Cermak-Chinatown stop for five months , for complete track reconstruction and other upgrades. The $425 million project is the second round of heavy overhaul on the line since 2004, although CTA officials say this will be the most complete renovation since the line opened in 1969.

The CTA will reroute Red Line trains to the Green Line, and shuttle passengers from stops farther south.

CTA Chairman Terry Peterson has said his goal is to operate trains, without slow zones, at a minimum of 55 miles an hour. The shutdown will allow the work to be completed in five months instead of an estimated four years if limited to off-peak and weekend hours. CTA expects train schedules to be shortened by 10 minutes once the work is completed in the fall of 2013.