588 finally enters preservation

The first Leeds City Transport standard arrived in 1968 on Daimler Fleetline chassis as 146-160, with 146-155 powered by the Gardner 6LX engine, while 156-160 had the Gardner 6LXB engine. According to Alderman Turnbill a Leeds councilor  these buses (146-160) are ' the most modern and refined double deck buses in Britain'  For the 1968 commercial motor show held at Earls two of the new Leeds standards were placed on display. In early September the first standard had arrived in Leeds from Charles. H. Roe of Cross Gates, in the new One Man livery, now known as One person operation, with light green and a dark green centre band. The new style white and yellow registration plates were introduced from this batch of buses. The front end dash had three headlights and square indicators, towing eyes and central positioned registration plate. Side destination displays with route number and destination were placed near the entrance doors. More batches followed on the Daimler Fleetlines with 161-180 in 1969, with the first Atlanteans arriving in 1970 with 386-405. 1970 arrived with Daimler Fleetlines, 181-200 and more Atlanteans with 406-425 and 426-445. With these Leeds Standards the front end dash was improved with twin side indicators and four headlights slightly off-set and a central moulding strip. Two batches of Leyland Atlanteans arrived in 1971 with numbers 446-465 and 466-495. The final batch of Daimler Fleetlines arrived in 1972/3 with 751-780, later renumbered 201-230, these vehicles were powered by Leyland engines.
From 1973-1974 the revised Leyland Atlantean AN68/2R was purchased by Leeds City, with 496-530, then 531-555 and 556-580, 582-585, 590-591, with 581, 586-589 and 592-595 arrived with the new West Yorkshire PTE, all the Leeds standards passed to the new West Yorkshire PTE in 1974. 427 (9350), 434, 467-68, 470-76, 478, 480-88 and 490-3 passed to Yorkshire Rider in 1986, with Yorkshire Rider vinal stickers on the PTE livery, these vehicles were withdrawn by November 1988.  496-517, 519-522, 524-25, 527-32, 534-47, 549-595 all passed to Yorkshire Rider in 1986, with most gaining the Yorkshire Rider Livery. But by 1993 a small number including 588 saw service until March of '93 when these were withdrawn before April 1993. 580 was in fact the very last municipal transport department bus remaining in the Yorkshire Rider fleet, on the 31st of March 1993.
588 was sold during the summer of 1993 to Halifax based Eureka were the bus was stored pending its future as an exhibit for the centre. But as the years passed by the building in which 588 was being stored began to fall into dis-repair. Then by chance in the early part of 2015, a small group of people were able to extract 588 from Halifax. Thus after 22 years being preserved inside, the bus minus windows and a flat tire saw daylight and freedom. 588 is currently stored waiting plans to restore her back into life.