Thousands of Melbourne Cup punters were stranded at Flemington Racecourse and traffic in the area was heavily congested after ride-sharing app Uber crashed because of a technical glitch.

The Victoria Racing Club was broadcasting a message in Birdcage tents just after 5pm, as the last race was run, that the Uber app was not working.

A glitch caused the Uber app to crash, stranding racegoers. Credit:Chris Hopkins

"Due to a technical fault, the Uber app is not operating this afternoon," the sign read. "Please seek alternative transport from the venue."

Uber and other ride-sharing services have a designated pick-up and drop-off zone at the racecourse, but the app was unable to link drivers with riders and Uber zones were closed while the company tried to fix the problem.