Transport of photoelectrons by the ⟨110⟩ propagating surface acoustic wave (SAW) on (100)‐cut gallium arsenide was observed using the acoustic charge transport (ACT) principle reported by Hoskins, Morko&Vthgr;, and Hunsinger [Appl. Phys. Lett.41, 332 (1982)]. By directly modulating an AlGaAs light‐emitting diode, pulses of near‐infrared radiation (&lgr;p=730 nm) were applied to semitransparent (25 nm thick) chromium windows on the device surface. Four such windows separated by 250 &mgr;m were positioned along the otherwise opaque Schottky channel plate of the ACT device. Electron‐hole pairs generated by incident radiation were separated by the electrostatic field in the depletedn‐type channel region. Calculations suggested that the separation time would be small enough to reduce radiative recombination and allow enough electrons to collect in each acoustically defined well passing beneath the injection window for detection at the output. Electrons, separated from the holes, were subsequently bunched and carried along by the electric field coupled to the SAW. Output pulse delays for injection over each window were in agreement with theory taking into account the window positions and the SAW velocity (2864 m/s). Quantum efficiency, defined as the number of electrons collected at the output per incident photon on the chromium window, was approximately 0.09. Operated at 360 MHz, the experimental device had a charge transfer efficiency in excess of 0.992. It is believed that the injection technique described may be of use in future optical signal processing or imaging applications using ACT.