A vehicle primarily a mass transit vehicle is formed primarily of composite materials which define a roof section and a floor section of two fiber reinforced sheets connected by an integral core and two rigid side wall sections each formed from welded steel or optionally bolted aluminum defining a series of window openings in a row along the side wall section in a ladder shape. Releasable joints of adhesive are provided between the metal rails and the edges of the composite panels where a web of the panel and the web of the rail extend across the panel at an angle to the first and second surfaces different from 90 degrees so that the web of the panel meets the flange of the panel at an angle greater than 90 degrees.